One More Chance
by RedRoseWriter
Summary: It's the same old story. Salem's defeated and teammates go their separate ways. Oscar gets caught in a cycle of repetitive days. As he gets comfortable with his new life, a certain silver-eyed warrior crashes back into his life. Finally, he gains a another chance at a new life. And perhaps even a chance with romance.
1. Chapter 1

The quiet song of the night was playing throughout Vale. The stars sparkled above the city broken by grimm. Tonight the city was quiet as the residents slept soundly for the first time in ages. Fireflies danced in the night air to the orchestra of crickets.

Oscar sat on the cliff of Beacon and stared at the view of the city. There was too much on his mind for him to be sleeping. He felt too restless.

"Hey." Oscar jumped a little at the voice that cut through the quiet. He recognized the voice belonged to a certain silver-eyed scythe wielder.

"Hey," he called back.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Ruby asked in slight amusement.

"What about you?"

"I wasn't the one that was fatally injured recently."

"I guess you're right," Oscar laughed. He patted the spot next to him. "Care to join me?"

Ruby came to sit beside him. The crickets' song played between them as neither said a word. Both just stared out at the city. Ruby tucked her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"You… You can come back to Beacon, you know?" Oscar finally spoke. This elicited a small sigh from Ruby.

"I know, but right now there's a lot to be done in order to help Remnant recover. I want to help."

"I thought you might say something like that," he chuckled a little.

"But enjoy your time at Beacon! You deserve proper training now that everything is over."

"Yeah… I'm going to miss you."

"Me too."

"Hey Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"I-" a blaring siren broke their conversation. It sounded like a series of high-pitched beeps.

Oscar groaned, realizing that it was his alarm. He fished around for the pesky device on his nightstand. After not finding it, he cracked an eye open and sat up. He reached for the alarm and turned it off with no problems. He sighed, knowing that it was once again time to start the morning.

His small apartment was quiet as he got ready for the morning. He picked up the clothes he had laid out the previous night and started getting dressed. Before he put on his shirt, he took a brief moment to trace the spider-like scars on his chest. He had gotten used to them over the years, but today they ached just a little bit.

After finishing his morning routine, he grabbed his bag and left for work. He planned out the day's plan in his head as he walked. It was supposed to be a pretty ordinary day. Like most ordinary days he walked into his work. His first destination was the breakroom. He desperately needed coffee to start his day. Despite the early morning start, the breakroom had many of the faculty mingling around small groups of tables and to the sides.

"Good morning, Oscar!" an older woman called from one of the tables. Her hair was a faded red with streaks of gray running through it. Nevertheless, her brown eyes showed much youth.

"Good morning, Flann." Oscar sat down across from her. This was how the mornings usually went. He would spend his time talking to his coworkers, like Flann, until it was time to start the day.

"So Oscar, are you dating anybody?" Flann asked out of the blue. Oscar immediately choked on his coffee.

"What?! I'm- I'm not!" he stammered. "Why?!"

"One of my nieces is coming into town for a visit. She's around your age so I thought I could set you up on a date."

Oscar buried his face in his hands. Dating was the last thing on his mind at the moment. There was too much to do around Patch and Vale. He still had many duties to fulfill and dating would only get in the way.

He looked around the room trying to find any excuse to exit the conversation. He spotted Taiyang walking in to grab his morning coffee. It wasn't the greatest escape, but Tai could get him out of this conversation.

"Morning Tai!" Oscar called out. Tai looked up.

"Hey Oscar, what's up?" Tai smiled. Oscar tried his best to signal for an emergency eject from his current conversation.

"Good morning, Taiyang. Say, you have two daughters of your own, correct?" Flann asked.

"That's right, why?"

This was even worse.

"Why don't you set one of them up on a date with Oscar?" Oscar tried signaling to Tai not to answer. Tai was his last hope. But of course Tai saw this and smiled.

"Oh? I didn't realize you were so desperate, Oscar. Pray tell which of my daughters caught your fancy? Or is there something you haven't been telling me?"

"Tai!" Oscar shot up from his seat. "It's- It's not like that at all! Ruby- Ruby and Yang are just my friends!" Tai laughed.

"I'm just messing with ya. Flann don't pick on the poor boy, we don't think his heart can take that much teasing." Flann batted her eyelashes, feigning mock innocence.

"That's not helpful," Oscar grumbled to himself. He sat back down in his seat. He sometimes hated being the youngest of the Signal teachers.

"Good morning," another of his coworkers trudged into the breakroom. She already had a large, metal tumbler filled with what he presumed to (hopefully) be coffee. She sat down next to Oscar and laid her head on the table.

"Marigold, you shouldn't lay your head on the table like that," Flann lectured.

"Whatever," Marigold retorted.

"Another failed date?" Oscar asked.

"Why does everybody think that?!" She shot up. Realizing her outburst, she sunk back down into the chair and rested her head on the table again.

"Well it's because it usually is."

"Hardy-har-har. Not like you have a girlfriend."

"Not you too…" Oscar sighed. Marigold was the second youngest of the teachers at Signal. They had bonded over the relentless teasing they received from the older faculty; usually about their singleness (and Marigold's many failed relationships).

"So, was it another failed date?" Tai asked. He came around to sit at the table with them.

"Shut up…" Marigold muttered.

"I guess it was." Tai calmly took a sip from his mug.

"Can't you just focus on Oscar's love life for like a day?"

"They do that already…" Oscar sighed.

"That reminds me! My niece! What do you say Oscar?" Flann went back to the original conversation.

"I'm going to pass. I just don't have time right now. I'm focusing on the field trip to Jade Forest."

"Ugh, that's next week isn't it?" Marigold asked.

"Have fun with that," Tai replied sarcastically. "I don't pity you having to bring the class with Jett, Hector, and Cole."

"Don't remind me!" Oscar groaned. "Marigold, please take them with your group? Just for one day? I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Sorry Oscar," Marigold smiled sympathetically. "But hey, maybe next time."

"Sorry bud." Tai stood up and patted Oscar on the shoulder as he started walking away. "I'm going to start heading to my room. See you later."

"That reminds me, I have to talk to Morris before the students get here. Have fun, kids." Flann got up and left. "Let me know if you change your mind~!"

Oscar decided that it was time for him to take his leave as well. He came up with an excuse and left Marigold to sulk in the breakroom. It was his personal revenge for her not taking the small group of troublemakers from his homeroom.

Oscar walked through the quiet halls of Signal. He enjoyed those quiet moments in the morning before the chaos of the day started. Most of the faculty were already in their rooms or in the breakroom. Oscar unlocked the door to his classroom and seated himself at his desk. The desk was covered in papers featuring yet-to-be-graded papers and future lesson plans. He immersed himself into grading the papers as he waited for students to start trickling in.

Thus his ordinary day started.

###

Oscar threw his bag onto the ground next to the kitchen table. He trudged over to the couch and collapsed face first into the nearest pillow. He realized that he couldn't breathe well in the position so he shifted until he was lying on his back.

The apartment was quiet. Not even his neighbors made any loud noises. Oscar fished through his pockets until he found his scroll. No new messages. He scrolled through his contacts, wondering if anybody was available to talk.

Perhaps he would call Tai and ask to drop by for dinner. But Raven probably wouldn't be too happy if he joined them for dinner for the third time this week. He scrolled past Tai's contact. Marigold was probably too busy moping over her latest failed date. He scrolled past her contact. He stopped at an older contact. NORA VALKYRIE was printed in bold letters. The contact image with her grinning face was welcoming. Oscar's finger hesitated over the contact. He kept scrolling. Nora was probably too busy to talk.

He sighed. Seeing nobody to talk to, he put on some music instead. He lay there for a little bit before getting up to cook dinner. After that it was his usual routine. Dinner, work, and finally bed. At night, Oscar stared up at the ceiling. He counted tomorrow's tasks in his head until he fell asleep. Thus, ended Oscar's ordinary, monotonous, day.

* * *

 **A/N: My first work in a long time and my first RWBY fanfic! This will hopefully be updated every week, but no promises. The chapters will be longer than I've written in the past and hopefully better! Enjoy!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"Remember to stay with your assigned group," Marigold announced. "Don't stray too far from the group. While the Jade Forest is impressive, it is still crawling with grimm. Remember that today's hike is only to get you acquainted with basic wilderness survival skills. Do _not_ attempt to fight any grimm you may encounter. Instead inform either Mr. Pine or I and we will take care of it."

Oscar sat near the front of the bus. Marigold stood on her knees as she addressed the entire bus. When she was finished, she slid back down into her seat and faced forward. The whole bus immediately erupted into students' conversations. Marigold groaned and rubbed her temples.

"Hangover?" Oscar asked her.

"Just a small headache from the noise," she replied. A wad of paper went soaring through the air above their heads. Marigold shot up. "Don't throw things!" Another wad of paper came flying, forcing her to dodge. "Jett! Throw one more paper and you have to sit up here with us!"

Oscar fiddled with his collapsed cane. He didn't want to get involved yet. Marigold slid back down with a long groan.

"This is going to be a long trip," she complained.

"Tell me about it," Oscar sighed. Marigold started on a long rant about her students before transitioning into stories about her school days and her friends. Oscar ended up zoning out and watching the scenery that passed by the bus.

The trees started being replaced by toppled trees. Oscar perked up at seeing an increase in destruction. Then the bus passed by a destroyed house. The students excitedly murmured amongst themselves. More houses destroyed and crushed started popping up. Then the bus stopped. Oscar stood up to see why the driver stopped. There was a blockade. Oscar got out of his seat and reassured the driver before leaving. Two guards stood by the blockade. They greeted Oscar as he approached them.

"What happened here?" Oscar asked.

"Same as usual. Grimm," the first guard answered.

"A large horde of them," the other added. While grimm were steadily disappearing from the world, they were still around in abundance. "We have a huntress working to exterminate them right now. We don't want any ordinary civilians entering the area in the meantime. Too dangerous."

"My name is Oscar Pine. I am a teacher at Signal and a skilled huntsman. This is a field trip of students from Signal. I have paperwork to say we're allowed into the Jade Forest today, if you would like to see it." Oscar fished around in his bag for the paperwork. He presented them to the guards. The two exchanged looks before quietly consulting with each other.

"Alright. Please be careful," the first guard said. Oscar returned to the bus as the guards moved to open the blockade for the bus.

"I am going to remind you of what Ms. Pearson said when we left. There will be a lot of grimm today so remember to be safe and don't stray from the group under _any_ circumstances." Oscar sat back down in his seat. The bus started moving again and Marigold tapped him on his shoulder.

"Is it really that bad?"

"They said it was a horde, but a huntress is taking care of it."

"That's good. We'll be able to step in if anything happens!" Marigold stated determinedly. Oscar smiled kindly at her. He absentmindedly traced the swirls on his cane. It had been a long time since he heard about any large hordes of grimm in Patch. It worried him.

The bus pulled into the entrance of the Jade Forest. The students filed out of the bus, each with varying levels of excitement for the hike. Oscar began his lecture on the wildlife in the area and how to survive in an area such as this. The group came across a large clearing and Oscar gave the students their first task. He sat on a rock on the far side of the clearing as he watched his students build small tents from leaves and branches.

###

"I don't understand this!" Nora complained. She held two large branches in her hand. "If it rains you could just camp out in a cave or something!"

"You're not always going to find a cave, kid," Qrow leaned against a tree as he watched them work.

"I'm sorry that I pulled you into this…" Oscar piped up. He held some sticks together as Jaune and Yang worked on tying them together.

"Don't worry about it." Sun replied. He was high in a tree, tossing down branches and leaves for them to use. "We needed to set up camp anyways."

Half of the group was working on setting up a camp. Ren had even started preparing dinner with the help of Ilya and Weiss as Blake worked on starting the campfire. The other half had opted out of camp preparation to help Oscar with learning to build a small shelter. They called it "training reasons," but really Nora and Ruby had just wanted to build a fort.

"There, that should do it." Yang stepped away from the shelter. Oscar and Ruby, who were tasked with holding up the branches, let go with sighs of relief. Ruby squealed.

"It's so cool!" She began crawling into the little shelter.

"Don't forget the leaves!" Nora started piling leaves on top of the sticks of the shelter. Ruby excitedly bounced as she watched the sky start to be shaded by the piles of leaves.

"Oscar! Come in here! This is so cool!" Oscar slowly crawled into the little shelter. There was barely enough room for the both of them. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the damp ground. He wasn't as excited over the shelter as the others were. "Isn't this cool?!"

Ruby turned to him with excitement sparkled in her silver eyes. Her face radiated joy. Oscar couldn't help but smile too. He felt awkward but sitting next to her in the little twig shelter made his chest feel warm. He turned his gaze to stare at his feet. He felt that if he looked at her too long, he would go blind.

"Yeah… it's pretty cool," he smiled. Ruby's grin became wider and Oscar could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"My turn!" Nora announced. There wasn't enough room for all three of them. Oscar decided to leave to make room.

###

"Hey Oscar!" Marigold came to sit next to him. She stretched her arms. "I know that I'm supposed to help everybody as revenge for not taking the troublemakers, but you're a jerk for making me run around like this."

"I am?" he replied with a joking tone.

"You looked pretty lost in though over here. What were you thinking about?"

"Just thinking about the past. I remember when I learned how to make a stick shelter."

"Ah. Fun times."

"Yeah… it was…" Oscar sighed in reminiscence.

He looked over the students as they worked. Some were working on overly-ambitious shelters that looked more like forts. Some had made their forts already with the help of their semblances and their group was hanging out around their little shelter. Luckily everyone was working. It was peaceful… too peaceful…

"Hey Marigold? Where are the troublemakers?" Oscar asked.

"Last I saw them they were right over there…." Her sentence trailed off as she pointed to an abandoned pile of sticks. Oscar groaned and stood up.

"They are so dead when I find them. Stay here and look after the other students. Let them eat lunch when they're finished or something."

"Got it." Marigold saluted. Oscar stomped into the woods.

Oscar opened his scroll. He had all of his students' contacts. He opened Cole's contact and called him. There was no reply. Oscar's eyebrows scrunched up. He tried Hector. Same result. Finally, he tried Jett. Still nothing. Now he was frustrated.

He heard a beowolf's howl. Oscar froze. That was never a good sign. He took off running towards the noise. His heart pounding in his ears. He feared the worst. What if his students were being attacked by beowolves?! He ran closer and saw something in the distance. It was people running towards him. They had terrified looks on their face. Oscar recognized them to be Cole and Hector. There were tears streaming down their cheeks when he approached. Oscar was panting, but managed to get some words out.

"What happened?!"

"Beowolves! A-A lot of them!" Cole blurted out. Oscar put a hand on both of their shoulders.

"We will discuss this matter later. For now, get back to the group and stay with Ms. Pearson."

"But Jett is still over there!" Hector cried out.

"Just do as I say! I will get Jett!" He pushed both of their backs as he continued to run. The beowolves' growls were getting louder. Their dark heads peered over the tall bushes and undergrowth.

A beowolf could sense his anger. It came charging at him. Oscar extended his cane and stabbed the grimm. He slid underneath its feet and repeatedly hit its back before jumping onto its shoulders. He pierced its head. It collapsed and started disappearing.

Oscar jumped off and continued his advance. He burst through the brush and landed in a small clearing. He spotted Jett on the other side, cowering by a tree. Oscar immediately jumped up, landing on the head of the nearest beowolf. He leaped onto the next one, using their heads and shoulders as stepping stones. He saw a beowolf readying to attack Jett. Oscar quickened his pace. He leapt at the beowolf and stabbed it in the back, through to its front. The grimm fell.

Oscar looked down at the grimm as it disappeared. He took the moment to catch his breath.

"Jett!" Oscar roared. He was beyond furious now.

"M-M-Mr. Pine! Look out!" Jett called.

Oscar whipped around. He held out his cane to block any attack that may come at him. He saw a beowolf with its claws out, arms lifted to attack. Oscar waited for it to slash at him so he could counter it.

Except it didn't. There was a flash of red before his eyes and the beowolf was down. A figure stood before him, clad in a red cape that flowed with the wind.

"Are you his teacher? Please get him out of here right now," a soft voice came from the huntsman. Oscar's blood turned to ice. He knew that voice. It was sounded a little different, but it was hers. She turned around. His eyes met with those beautiful silver eyes.

"Ruby?!" The name escaped Oscar's lips before he could do anything about it. She took off her hood. Long, flowing black hair spilled from the hood.

"Oscar?!" Ruby gaped. Before either of them could say anything else, a grimm growled, reminding them of their current situation. They immediately fell into a natural battle position. Their backs pushed together and their weapons readied.

"Jett get out of here now." Oscar demanded. He couldn't tell if Jett obeyed him. He focused on counting the grimm surrounding him.

"There should be about a dozen grimm left," Ruby reported. Oscar heard the distinct _chink_ as Ruby released her cartridge and loaded another one.

"I'm guessing you have a plan. What do you need?"

"Not much. You have two minutes then get out of the way. Corral them into one spot, please."

"You got it."

Ruby and Oscar leaped into action. He hit the nearest beowolf, knocking it back. He rushed at a straggler, pushing it back into the center of the clearing. He knocked a beowolf approaching from behind Ruby. She shot at them, refusing to let them past some imaginary line.

Two minutes were up. Oscar jumped out of the way. He landed where Jet hadn't moved from his tree. Then Ruby started running. Oscar knew what she was doing. He grabbed Jett and pushed him into the nearest bush as the wind started to pick up. The clearing transformed into a storm of red rose petals. The beowolves trapped in the middle. Then Ruby broke away. She skidded to a stop and held Crescent Rose behind her as she readied for the final cut.

Crescent Rose extended. A red light blasted from it, creating a larger version of Crescent Rose. Ruby dashed forward. In an instant all the grimm were slashed at once. They disappeared into black smoke.

Ruby sighed in relief and put Crescent Rose away.

"That was awesome!" Ruby cheered. She waved to the two in the bushes. Oscar came out with a smile on his face. Ruby dashed over and pulled him into a hug that nearly toppled him to the ground.

"It's sooo good to see you again!" Ruby grinned.

"It's been a really long time," Oscar laughed. Ruby let go of him.

"Look at you! You're so much taller than me now!" She stood on her toes to measure the height difference between them.

"And… you've grown your hair out." Admittedly Oscar didn't know what else to say. Nevertheless, Ruby took a long lock of hair in her fingers and played with it.

"Yeah… well I though it would be a cool change."

"It looks good."

"Thanks!" Ruby beamed. There was a moment of awkward silence between them. "Sooo… you're a teacher now?"

Oscar remembered Jett was standing right there. He also remembered his rage from the boy running off.

"Will you excuse me for a minute?" Oscar parted from Ruby. His entire attitude changed. "Jett!"

Jett flinched at his teacher's enraged expression. It was rare that Oscar got mad. His students had never seen it before. Even Ruby looked a little surprised by his outburst.

"You blatantly broke the rules and ran off on your own. To top it off you almost got yourself and your friends in danger! When we return to school, you are to report to the headmaster. You will be suspended for a week, _minimum_. Am I clear?!" Jett meekly nodded.

"Wow Oscar, you're taking this teacher thing really seriously," Ruby commented.

"Not now, Ruby. I'm trying to do my job."

"Well we weren't exactly the 'rule-abiding' type either." Ruby shrugged. She walked up to Jett. "I think you'll be a great huntsman one day. But first you need to learn to put others before yourself. Being a huntsman isn't about killing the most grimm or rushing straight into battle. It also requires a lot of looking around and evaluating the situation. If you run head first into a fight, you could get yourself hurt of worse, your friends and teammates."

Ruby looked at Oscar for encouragement. Oscar only sighed, hearing Ruby's words dissipated all the anger from his body. He was relieved to know that that part of her still hadn't changed.

"So? What are you doing out here?" Oscar asked Ruby.

"Hm? Oh before that… Hey Oscar… does the world seem to be spinning to you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby woke up staring up at the sky. Oscar waved a small cookie in front of her face which she greedily grabbed and started gobbling up.

"You scared me!" Marigold gasped. "I didn't know what to think when Oscar returned with a huntress on his back!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Ruby laughed nervously. "I guess I forgot to eat…"

"You're still a workaholic," Oscar laughed. He handed her his box of Flower Scout cookies. "Take it. A bunch of our students are Flower Scouts and we always end up with tons of cookies."

Ruby took the box and immediately dug in. Oscar handed her his water bottle. She took small sips before digging back into the cookies at full force. The students noticed that she was awake and started gathering around.

"Are you a real huntress?" one girl asked. Ruby grinned. She looked pretty silly with cookie crumbs stuck to her face.

"Yup! I'm Ruby Rose!"

"You're _the_ Ruby Rose?!"

"The one and only!" Ruby chirped. A barrage of questions came hurdling at Ruby. She took each of them with ease. She even showed off Crescent Rose. Oscar sat back with Marigold. He couldn't help but watch Ruby as she excitedly told stories and answered questions.

Marigold nudged him, breaking him out of his trance. She pointed to her scroll that had the time on it. They were way behind schedule.

"Well it looks like we're behind schedule," Marigold announced. "Say goodbye to the nice huntress and let's continue our hike!"

"Please let us ask her more questions!" the students begged. It was obvious to Oscar that they just didn't want to continue the hike. Oscar looked to Ruby, knowing how socially awkward she was. She showed no signs of discomfort. On the contrary she seemed to be enjoying the students' curiosity.

Oscar and Marigold consulted briefly. Oscar only shrugged his shoulders. He knew he couldn't force his students to follow along. In addition, he sort of wanted to stay with Ruby just a bit longer.

"But the assignments…" Marigold sighed.

"There are lots of ways to teach survival skills, but it's not common for students to meet a famous huntsmen. Let's let them have this chance," Oscar reasoned. Marigold groaned.

"Since this is a rare opportunity, we'll stay here, and you can continue talking to Ms. Rose," Oscar stated. Some of the students smiled. Others didn't really react. They splintered off from the main group to hang out in their smaller friend groups.

Ruby smiled. She didn't seem to mind. She continued talking about Crescent Rose and some of her adventures. The students still gathered around Ruby listened intently. To them, this was better than their usual lectures. Oscar sat on his rock with his elbows on top of his knees as they propped up his head. He watched Ruby and her exaggerated motions as she described her latest trip to Vacuo. She described the weird and powerful grimm she's encountered, some of which Oscar remembered being there for.

"Do you know any really cool huntsmen?!"

"Of course!" Ruby smiled. "I had the honor of being the leader of Team RWBY! The best team that ever attended Beacon!"

Oscar chuckled a little. He still had Ozpin's memories and those memories had plenty of evidence from their school days to prove otherwise. But they really did evolve into quite the team.

"Let's see… Your teacher's a really amazing huntsman!" Ruby grinned, looking over at Oscar. The students turned their attention to the rock where their teachers were sitting.

"You give me too much credit, Ruby," Oscar awkwardly smiled. Even Marigold was staring at him now. It was clear on his students' faces that they didn't believe it. Ruby noticed their expressions too.

"Really! In his first real fight he went head-to-head against Haven's former headmaster!"

"But I didn't beat him or anything."

"Yeah, but you knocked him down a flight of stairs! Nora said it was awesome!" Ruby excitedly recounted.

" _And that had made things worse,"_ Oscar thought to himself. He remembered how the action had attracted the attention and anger of Hazel.

"You also saved my life," Ruby grinned. Oscar's scar painfully throbbed. He gripped at his shirt above the scar. He looked at his feet.

"I couldn't let you die like that," he muttered. He could feel the memories starting to surface as he tried to calm his breathing. Ruby noticed his pain.

"Well besides that, my best friend is Weiss Schnee! She's an amazing fighter!" Ruby chirped. The students once again had their attention on Ruby. They started asking her questions about Weiss.

Oscar got up and left to group to get some space. He made his way to a tree on the edge of the clearing. He concentrated on slowing his breathing and calming down. His scar was still throbbing. It was like he could feel Salem's attack.

"Oscar?" Oscar jumped a little bit. Ruby had appeared behind him.

"Ruby! You startled me!" Oscar said. Ruby approached him. She reached out and rested her hands on the hand gripping his shirt.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"It's alright, I'm fine," he smiled back. He knew Ruby could see through it. She hugged him.

"You've endured so much. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you." The hug helped him slow his breathing.

"Ruby, I'm fine, really. It does this sometimes."

"What?" Ruby let go of him. Oscar pointed to his torso where his scar was located.

"I don't know if it's psychological or something Salem did, but my scar starts hurting whenever I feel too many negative emotions. I've learned to control it, but just the thought of Salem set it off..."

"That's… weird…" Ruby scrunched her face into a look of concern. "If it's a curse I know you'll figure out how to break it!"

"Thanks," Oscar smiled. The throbbing had started to subside. Oscar realized that the clearing was much quieter than before. "Where is everyone?! Why are you over here?!"

"Your friend told everyone that it was time to leave. She asked me to make sure you were alright since she had to watch over the students."

"Oh." Oscar felt a bit grateful that Marigold had stepped up. "Do you want to come back to Signal with us? I'm sure Tai would be happy to see you."

"Thank you for the offer, but I need to report that I finished clearing out the grimm. I'm also staying at my dad's house tonight anyways."

"Oh."

"But, I am staying the weekend~," Ruby sang.

"Is that an invitation I hear?" Oscar jokingly replied.

"Perhaps," Ruby smiled. "I'll call you tonight to figure out the details. It would be good to catch up!"

"It would be."

###

Oscar awkwardly stood outside of the Xiao-Long household. He didn't know whether to knock or wait for Ruby to come outside. His hand hesitated in front of the door. He definitely did _not_ want Tai to think of this as a date. He neither wanted to be threatened nor teased. But Ruby could be inside waiting for him to pick her up.

Oscar sucked up his courage and just knocked on the door. Tai would understand… probably… He heard Zwei barking from inside the house. He could even hear the dog's excited scampering up to the door to see the guest. Inside, he heard some laughing and Tai's muffled voice speaking to Zwei. The door opened and Zwei came bounding out.

"Hey Zwei!" Oscar bent down to scratch the very excited dog. He was glad Zwei was fond of him or else he probably would have been banned from the household a long time ago.

"Hey what's up Oscar?" Tai asked, surprised to see the younger teacher there. "I didn't expect you to be dropping by."

"I'm, uh, going to lunch with Ruby. Didn't she tell you?" Oscar stood up from petting Zwei. Tai thought a moment.

"She did mention going out to lunch to catch up with a friend. I guess that was you," Tai shrugged. "Come on in, Ruby's still upstairs. I have some guests, but I'm sure they won't mind."

"Thanks." Oscar entered the house with Zwei trotting behind him.

Raven was sitting on the living room couch, reading. She glared when Tai called up to Ruby from the bottom of the staircase.

"Hello, Oscar," Raven greeted. Her tone had only a small twinge of welcome in it. But that was better than nothing. Before he got his apartment, Tai had allowed Oscar to live in the spare bedroom. Raven treated him coldly at first, but in time she had grown fonder of him.

"Hi Raven," he replied. Oscar had also gotten more comfortable around Raven. When he first started living there, he jumped almost every time he saw her.

Bouts of laughter drew Oscar's attention to the kitchen. Oscar floated over to the kitchen doorway where Tai had just entered back into the conversation. At the table sat Professor Port, still gray as ever but with more wrinkles, and Dr. Oobleck, gray streaking his green hair. They were laughing about some story that Oscar had missed.

"Hello," Oscar piped up from the doorway. Oobleck and Port jumped up from their seats. They approached him with open arms.

"Why if it isn't the young prodigy!" Port stated in a hearty tone.

"Yes! It is very good to see you again, Oscar," Oobleck greeted.

"It's good to see you two again," Oscar smiled.

"Tai here tells us that you started teaching at Signal!" Port said.

"I have."

"What do you think of teaching?"

"It's been a bit of a learning experience. But I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"That's excellent to hear," Oobleck said as he adjusted his glasses. Oobleck and Port exchanged a quick glance and a nod.

"Have you thought about what to do next?" Port asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well it would be a waste to see such a talented young man never advance in life. You must take life by the horns and show it who's boss!" Port exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I follow."

"They're asking if you want to teach at Beacon," Tai answered for them. The question took Oscar by surprise.

"Me? Teaching at Beacon? But I graduated only a few years ago. Aren't I a little too young?"

"Yes, normally professors are older once they are hired by Beacon," Oobleck answered. "However, I believe with your accomplishments you will have no problem qualifying for the job."

"It's not everyday that we are able to hire heroes that saved Remnant," Port stated. Oscar bit his lip. He wasn't sure how to respond.

"I appreciate the offer but let me think about it."

"No worries," Port responded. "Whenever you feel you are ready, do not be afraid to contact either one of us. We will gladly vouch for you when the time comes."

"Thank you," Oscar smiled awkwardly. He was a bit unsure how to feel. Oscar felt a little knock on the back of his head. Raven stood above him, pointing to the front door. Ruby stood next to it, waving to him. He dismissed himself and made his way to Ruby.

"Wow! An offer to teach at Beacon?!" Ruby gasped. They sat together at a local restaurant. Ruby picked at her strawberry cheesecake, not quite eating it.

"Yeah. I was pretty surprised myself," Oscar sighed. He swirled the straw in his drink.

"Do… Do you want to take the offer?" Ruby carefully asked.

"I don't know…" Oscar sighed. He stopped playing with the straw and sunk into his seat. "The thing about still having the memories of my predecessors means I have knowledge of countless professions. But…"

"Are you afraid that you're just repeating the lives of those before you?"

"Yeah…" Oscar sighed.

"I think you'll be fine," Ruby reached across the table to rest her hand on his. "I know that whatever you choose to do will work out!"

"Thanks," Oscar smiled, feeling a little better. "I'm sorry for rambling like that."

"It's alright!" Ruby chirped. "It's good you're putting a lot of thought into your decision."

Ruby smiled. She went back to picking at her strawberry cheesecake. She had managed to skillfully pick at everything except the strawberry sitting on a throne of whipped cream.

"There's something on your mind, isn't there?" Oscar stated. Ruby looked up at him in surprise.

"Why do you ask?"

"Ruby, who do you think I am? I'm a former wizard," he joked to cheer her up a little bit. "Also, you haven't even touched that strawberry yet."

"You caught me," Ruby laughed nervously.

"You can always talk to me, you know. We always relied on each other for emotional support. That hasn't changed." Ruby looked as if she was considering telling him or not. She made a face as if she had decided.

"Oscar, I'm going to quit being a huntress."


	4. Chapter 4

Oscar rubbed his eyes. He rubbed them a second time. He was just a step away from slapping himself awake. Sitting at a table across the room was _the_ Ruby Rose herself. Oscar walked over to make sure this was real. Ruby noticed him coming and waved to him.

"Good morning Oscar!" Ruby called.

"H-Hi Ruby. What are you doing here?" He approached the table. Tai was already sitting next to her at the table.

"Just visiting Signal for a bit," she smiled.

"Oh, I see."

Oscar sat down his stuff and sat across from her. Flann approached the table and started talking to Ruby. She seemed excited to finally meet one of Tai's daughters. Oscar fidgeted in his seat. It had been almost a week since he last saw her. Truthfully, he had thought she had left already. She never gave an explanation for why she wanted to quit being a huntress. It had been bothering him all week.

Ruby happily talked to Flann. She smiled and laughed as if there was nothing wrong. Ruby exchanged stories with Flann. Marigold soon arrived and started thanking Ruby for what she did during the field trip. The conversation was boring him a bit and he couldn't find a good time to interject and talk. Oscar knew that it was time to make his leave when Flann started inquiring about relationships. She was bound to ask about Ruby's relationship with Oscar. That was a conversation he did not want to get wrapped up in.

Without coming up with an excuse, Oscar left the table. He went to his classroom to work on some paperwork. Oscar didn't even do anything before he realized that he wasn't going to get anything done. Instead, he turned the television in his room and flipped to the news.

"We will be preparing for another expedition," a confident voice declared from the tv. Weiss Schnee stood at a podium, talking to an audience.

Weiss had changed considerably since he last saw her. Her hair was a bit shorter than it used to be. It was braided around her head like a headband and the rest stayed in a neat bun. She still wore nice clothes of whites and blues, but they weren't as extravagant nor expensive as she used to wear. She had been cut off from her father for many years and had started her own dust company called Mirror Mirror Dust Company.

"We are calling on any available huntsmen to volunteer for this journey."

"Weiss has come a long way, hasn't she?" Oscar jumped at the sudden question. He turned to the doorway to see Ruby. Ruby let herself in and sat herself at the nearest desk. She watched the tv as Weiss talked on about the details of the next expedition.

"Are you going?" Oscar asked. Ruby peeled her eyes from the tv.

"I told you, I'm quitting. Besides, I've helped Weiss on a lot of these expeditions in the past. I think Blake is going this time though." She turned back to the tv. Oscar observed her face. She wore an expression of sadness and nostalgia.

"Why do you want to quit?" Oscar asked. Ruby took a deep breath. She didn't look at him, just continued to stare at the screen.

"It's complicated. I don't think Remnant needs my help anymore."

"Ruby what happened to you?!" Oscar snapped. "The Ruby Rose I knew would always lend her help even if she thought they didn't need it! She always knew what was right and never strayed too far from the path! You're important Ruby! You are!"

Ruby stared at him. Oscar let out a long breath that released the tension in his body.

"I'm glad you think that, but it's much more complicated than that. Besides I'm not going to entirely give up on being a huntress. Maybe I'll become a teacher, like you. Wouldn't that be fun? We'd see each other every day again!"

"Sorry for shouting." Oscar sat back down. "I was just scared. You just seemed like a different person..."

"It's alright," Ruby smiled. "I have been sounding like that, haven't I? I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything."

"It's not your fault." Oscar turned back to the tv. The news had switched to a different story about the recent expansion of the kingdoms. They showed a recently discovered oasis on the continent, Immanis*.

"Maybe I should move to Immanis," Ruby said. "It's so far away from the other kingdoms."

"What would you do? Start a kingdom?" Oscar asked. Ruby's eyes light up.

"Yes! I'll start a kingdom!" Ruby jumped up. She started dancing around the classroom. "It'll be called Rubyland! And I shall be the queen!"

Oscar laughed at her childish notions. Creating a kingdom was not easy, but he wouldn't be surprised if the foundations for a new kingdom were being laid down without anybody realizing.

"Long live Queen Ruby!" Oscar laughed. Ruby started laughing too. She rearranged her cape so that it draped over her shoulders and arms. She held it in place with her hands and stuck her arm out in front of her chest. Then she started strutting around the room.

"You shall be my faithful knight," Ruby declared in a mock pompous tone.

"Of course, milady." Oscar kneeled on the floor.

"I dub thee, Sir Oscar." Oscar laughed as he stood up. He bowed to Ruby.

"I shall always be by your side, milady." Ruby was laughing. Oscar smiled at her cheerfulness.

Ruby readjusted her cape before sitting down at a desk. She gripped her sides from laughter. Oscar sat down at his desk. He decided that the news was a bit boring, so he started flipping through channels.

"Hey Oscar," Ruby called to him. Oscar stopped flipping through the channels. "It wouldn't be so bad to have you by my side forever."

"Don't let your boyfriend hear that," Oscar chuckled to himself.

"But I'm not dating."

"Oh." Oscar covered his face a bit from embarrassment. "Me neither."

"By the way, does your coworker, uh… Flann? Does she always ask about relationships?"

"Yeah…" Oscar sighed. "It's repetitive…"

"I think she may be rubbing off on you a bit," she joked.

"Please don't even joke about that," Oscar's face scrunched in disgust. "I'm always on the receiving end of her inquiries. It's embarrassing, and I think it's her entertainment."

Ruby laughed at his statement. He stopped flipping through the channels upon landing on a movie.

"Oooh! This is Guardians of the Constellations, right? I love this movie!" Ruby leaned forward in her chair.

"I'm not that surprised," Oscar laughed. "This is part of the Revengers universe, right?"

"Yup!" Ruby chirped.

"A bunch of my students like the movies. I've watched a few of them, but never really got into it." Ruby was by his side in a flash. She had an arm around his shoulder and was pointing to the screen.

"Well my friend, while I'm in Patch we are going to have a movie marathon," she stated confidently. "I know you'll love the WCU."

"WCU?"

"Wonder Cinema Universe. You know, Wonder Comics? Did you _not_ grow up with comic books?!"

"Ruby, I grew up on a farm." Oscar made a face at her.

"Well you, my friend, have been deprived of a real childhood." In a burst of rose petals, Ruby was back in her seat. "I'll let you read my comics too if you want."

"You sound like a kid, you know," Oscar laughed.

"Hey! Enjoyment of comics has nothing to do with age!"

"No, I mean it's just nostalgic."

###

"Oscar!" The door to the Xiao-Long household flew open. Ruby stood in the doorway with a t-shirt and fuzzy pajama bottoms. Zwei trotted out to meet the guest.

"Hey. You look pretty comfortable."

"Well of course! It's a movie night!" Ruby bounced. "I haven't had one of these in a long time! Come on! Come on!"

Ruby was very obviously excited to start this movie night. Oscar entered the house to find a nest of pillows and blankets set up in front of the tv. Ruby barreled into the little nest. He made his way over and joined her in the comfy mess. There was an assortment of snacks from classic popcorn and chips to cookies. Ruby had even gotten a small cooler and filled it with plenty of drinks.

"Wow you've really outdone yourself," Oscar laughed.

"Yang and I used to have movie nights like this when we were younger. I haven't had one in a long time, so I guess I got pretty excited," Ruby sheepishly admitted. "Ok I think we should watch this in chronological order."

Ruby sat in a pile of movies. Each one had colorful covers that displayed heroes in tight suits. Oscar wondered if they would even be able to get through all of them. Ruby rummaged through the pile as if she was confident she knew what she was doing.

"So we should start with Captain Vale: The First Revenger. Steel Man and Steel Man 2 after that…" Ruby droned on about the order of the movies. Only about a handful of the superheroes sounded familiar. Ruby started the first movie.

"Both of you are such children," Raven shook her head in disappointment.

The couple in the nest of pillows and blankets were surrounded by crumbs, empty bottles, and bags of popcorn. Both Oscar and Ruby were completely sleep deprived. They had almost completed watching every movie in the WCU.

"Oscar, did you even go home?" Tai asked.

"Briefly. To get a change of clothes and take a shower," Oscar admitted. "And to bring more snacks..."

"I can't believe you two," Tai groaned. "We're gone for the weekend and you two pulled all-nighters to watch superhero movies."

"But we're almost done," Ruby complained. "I don't have Eternity War and that alone cuts over two hours out of the schedule!"

"Yeah! I'm almost caught up! If we watch one more, I can finish catching up next weekend."

"I can't believe you two are the ones that defeated Salem." Raven rolled her eyes and went upstairs.

"Ruby, Oscar, do you know what time it is?" Tai crossed his arms. Ruby and Oscar exchanged glances. It was apparent that neither had kept track of time. "It's 5am! On Monday! Oscar, we have to go to work in less than an hour!"

"Oops." That was all Oscar could think of. Tai sighed.

"Oscar, go home and get ready for work. I'll see you there. Ruby, sweetie, help me take this setup down."

"Can we at least finish the movie?" Ruby peeped up.

"No. Now go."

Oscar got up and grabbed his stuff. Ruby stood up and gave him a hug.

"This was fun," Ruby smiled.

"Yeah," Oscar hugged her back.

"Want to do this next week?"

"Aren't you going back to Vale soon?" Ruby let go of him and looked over at Tai. Her father only shrugged in response.

"I'm moving back to Patch for a bit."

"Really?!" Oscar got a bit excited.

"Yeah! I'm looking for a new place right now, so in the meantime I'll be moving back to Patch. Just until everything is straightened out."

"That sounds exciting," Oscar replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, it's been a bit of a… difficult process. But that means we'll have more time to hang out together!"

"I look forward to it." Oscar smiled. He bid his farewells and left the Xiao-Long household.

Ruby moved to help Tai undo her movie night nest. Tai didn't say a word, but Ruby seemed anxious over it.

"I know what you're going to say. So, can you just… not?"

"I wasn't going to say anything," Tai responded. Ruby sighed and gave him a look that she knew what was on his mind. "Why won't you tell him?"

Ruby gathered a load of blankets in her arms. She hugged them closer to her. Ruby buried her face in the blankets and let out a muffled scream of frustration. Tai dropped his armload of pillows on the couch. He walked over to her and gave her a big hug.

"I will eventually. Just… Just promise not to say anything. I don't want Oscar to worry."

"I won't. Just promise me that you'll tell him eventually. Oscar's a good kid, he'll understand."

"I know… that's not what I'm worried about…"

Ruby broke away from Tai's embrace. She continued working on deconstructing the mess. When she finished, she went upstairs to sleep.

Nightmares came to greet her.

* * *

 ***Immanis is supposed to be the dragon continent. There's no official name for it so I decided to give it one.**


	5. Chapter 5

When you're friends with someone long enough, you start to notice how they walk or act before entering a room. For example, Nora was the easiest to hear coming. It hadn't taken long to know that the air became electrically charged when she was excited. That was usually most of the time.

Ruby was a bit of a wildcard. With her speed, by the time you hear her coming, it's usually too late. She's right next to you and just scared the daylights out of you. Or, if you're lucky, she'll speed right past you.

When trying to help move someone out, neither were preferable. Thanks to Raven's portals, moving Ruby back into her parents' house was easy. A jump from Ruby's apartment in Vale to their house in Patch was nothing. What made the move difficult was Ruby's constant moving in and out of the portal.

Oscar held a heavy box in his arms. "Fragile" was scribbled all over the box in Ruby's messy handwriting. He carried it through Raven's portal and to the Xiao-Long house. As he approached the door, a whirlwind of rose petals nearly knocked him over.

"Ruby!" Oscar shouted at her. Ruby skidded to a halt. An excited smile was plastered all over her face. "Be careful!"

"Sorry Oscar~!" Ruby called back. "I'm really excited!"

Ruby disappeared into rose petals again and went inside. Oscar sighed and continued his little hike to the house. Tai greeted him at the door.

"Sorry about this, Oscar," Tai apologized for the umpteenth time that day. Raven was on the other side of the portal, keeping it open and linked to Tai. It would make things much more difficult if everybody was moving back and forth between the portals.

"It's no problem, seriously. I'm happy to help"

"Aw, it's like you're a part of the family." A hand came from behind him and ruffled his hair. Oscar flinched at the action. Yang walked past him and into the house. She carried a large box into the house with complete ease.

Yang had come to Patch to help with the move. Oscar was happy to see her again. But even with his growth spurt during his teenage years, she was still taller than him. Her hair was in a high ponytail and sunglasses sat on her head. For the move, she wore casual clothes of a tank top and jeans. It showed off the tattoo of a yellow, serpentine dragon circling her right arm, just above her prosthetic.

"Hey Ruby! Where do you want this!?" Yang called.

"Just anywhere! I'll sort through it later!" Ruby called from upstairs.

Yang dropped the box off in the living room. Oscar did the same and followed Yang back outside and into the portal. They entered Ruby's nearly empty apartment.

"So, you don't have anymore magic?" Yang asked, continuing their conversation from before.

"Yeah. At least not that I know of." Oscar estimated the weights of boxes and picked one up that he thought wouldn't be too heavy.

"Bummer. It would've been cool to like, I don't know, have some awesome powers," Yang called from the other side of the room.

"What power would you want? To turn into a bird like Raven?"

"Not sure. Maybe a dragon? Dragons are cool."

Ruby entered from the portal.

"I don't know if I would be able to do that," Oscar laughed. "I'd probably mess up and you'd end up with the ability to turn into a lizard or frog."

"That'd be awful. But don't doubt yourself. Even if you couldn't manage a dragon, you were still pretty capable with magic," Yang shrugged. She picked up a few boxes and entered back through the portal.

"Talking about magic?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. I think if I had enough magic left, I would have to give Yang the ability to turn into a dragon," Oscar joked.

"I'd want to be a wolf!" Ruby smiled.

"So you want to be a werewolf?" Ruby thought a moment.

"Actually, I just want to see some magic in general. It's so cool!"

"Yeah, cool," Raven sarcastically called from across the room. She was quietly sitting in a chair and sharpening her sword.

"It's really cool when you and Uncle Qrow turn into birds!"

"Well thanks," Raven replied in a monotone voice.

"I had nothing to do with it!" Oscar called before leaving through the portal. He only half expected the portal to close behind him.

Yang waited for him at the door. They continued their talk of catching up. Ruby didn't come out of the portal to drop off anymore boxes. Oscar and Yang went back to see if she needed help. When they got back, Ruby was talking on her scroll. She said goodbye and hung up when she saw them come in.

"That was Nora," Ruby put her scroll back in her pocket. "She wanted to know how the move was going."

"You're still in contact with Nora?" Yang asked.

"Yeah. She and Ren live in Vale. We hang out sometimes when we're not working." Ruby leaned against the wall. "She said she had something to show me. I wonder if it's a moving present."

"Maybe Ren made pancakes?" Oscar suggested.

"Nora would've eaten them before he even had the chance to consider bringing some over," Yang pointed out.

"That's true."

"Well I think now would be a good time for you three to take a break," Raven suddenly stated. "I'm heading back to Patch. I'll be back in an hour."

"Bye, Mom. Thanks for your help," Yang called after Raven.

"Bye Raven!" Ruby chirped and waved. Oscar also said his goodbyes and Raven left.

"Have we moved the fridge yet?" Ruby asked. "I think I still have some snacks in there."

Ruby rushed to the kitchen. Oscar tailed behind her. The fridge was still there, unplugged and waiting to be moved. Ruby pulled out some waters. She tossed one to Yang when she entered. Ruby's kitchen was a small kitchenette and an adjacent counter right by her front door. Yang hopped up to sit on the counter.

"Want one?" Ruby asked him, holding out a water.

"Sure." Oscar reached out to grab it from her. A loud shocking noise sparked between their fingers. Both retreated their hands at the shock. They stared at each other before laughing and trying for a second attempt.

"That was weird," Ruby laughed.

"Yeah." Oscar leaned against the counter.

"Is it just me or is the entire just all of a suddenly really electrically charged?" Yang asked. She was using her hand to push down strands of hair that floated into the air.

"Now that you mention it…" A loud banging noise from the door made all of them jump in their place.

"I guess that's Nora." Ruby recognized the electricity. She went to the door and opened it.

"RUBY! RUBY! RUBY!" Nora screamed in Ruby's face. Nora looked close to hyperventilating as she jumped on her toes.

To Oscar's surprise, Nora hadn't changed much. Same hairstyle just a few inches longer. A pink skirt and white top that displayed a heart on the chest. She even seemed to have kept her energetic personality completely intact.

"Nora calm down," Ruby tried calming Nora, knowing that it probably wouldn't be much help. "Yang and Oscar are here too."

Nora stopped bouncing. She peered beyond Ruby and saw the two in the kitchen.

"Yang! Oscar!" Nora pushed past Ruby. She gave both of them huge hugs.

"It's so good to see you again, Nora," Oscar smiled.

"Right?! You've grown a lot! We should talk more often."

"Well I've been a bit busy as a Signal teacher."

"You're a teacher?! Wait! No! This isn't the time!" Nora spun on her heels to face the entire group. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have a fantastic announcement!"

"This oughtta be good." Yang leaned in.

"In a few months I am ditching my name as Nora Valkyrie! I will become Nora Ren!" Nora grinned. "That's right! Ren and I are getting married."

Nora showed off the sparkling ring on her finger. Ruby squealed. Yang looked shocked, but a huge smile spread on her face. Oscar didn't know how to react. He felt like he heard some unbelievable news.

"I can't believe it!" Ruby hugged Nora.

"I'm so happy for you!" Yang came in with a stronger hug.

"Thanks," Nora giggled uncontrollably.

"Wow. I can't believe it," Oscar finally managed some words. "Congratulations. I hope you two are happy."

"Aw~ thanks Oscar~!" Nora called from the middle of the hug. "Now come in here for this reunion hug."

Oscar laughed as he got pulled into the middle of the hug. He couldn't believe that his friends were already getting married. The hug pulled apart.

"So where is the lucky guy?" Yang asked.

"Ren's at home," Nora replied. "We're going to go out to dinner with Jaune tonight. I was going to invite Ruby and announce the news, but I didn't want to miss her."

"Wow~! You two are getting married! I call maid of honor!" Ruby called.

"Hey! I was going to say that!" Yang snapped back.

"We haven't figured anything out yet, but you're both part of the wedding party for sure!" Nora announced. "Oscar you too."

"Me? I don't want to intrude…"

"Oh, come on! You're a good friend! There's no way we're doing this without you! Alright?!" Nora crossed her arms.

"Yeah!" Ruby bounced. She took both of Oscar's hands in her own. "Wouldn't it be exciting?! A wedding! Have you ever been to one?!"

"I haven't," Oscar admitted.

"That settles it! You are a groomsman!" Nora demanded. "I'm sure Ren would be happy to have you too."

"I'm honored." Oscar smiled.

"Yay!" Ruby bounced. "Nora I'm so so happy for you!"

"Aw~ thanks guys."

Ruby started hounding Nora on the details. Oscar sat back as he watched the girls chat about their plans. Their hour break was mostly Nora filling them in on exaggerated details of the proposal and the wedding. Oscar really doubted any venue would allow Nora to jump in from the sky and strike the ground with Magnhild for her grand entrance. However, the imagery was enough to have the entire group gripping their sides with laughter.

Raven reappeared through her portal. Nora jumped when Raven appeared.

"Ah, you were at Haven, weren't you?" Raven asked as she stared Nora down.

"Yup. I guess you're Yang's mom?"

"That's right. I'm going back to my chair. If you three want to wrap up moving soon, that would be great." Raven left the kitchen.

"I guess that's my cue to leave," Nora laughed. "It was sooo good to see you again!"

"Yeah, keep in touch Nora," Yang smiled.

"Bye Nora! I wish you could stay longer," Oscar said.

"Be good to Ren!" Ruby gave Nora a hug.

"Aren't I always," Nora grinned. "If you want, why don't you all join us for dinner tonight?"

The group looked between each other.

"I have no plans," Oscar said first. Yang and Ruby agreed as well. Nora broke into a bigger grin.

"Great! See you tonight~!" Nora gave them the address before leaving the apartment.

####

The air was becoming chillier. After finishing the move, Oscar went home to change clothes for dinner with Nora and the others. He wrapped a red scarf around his neck and nuzzled his face into its soft warmth. When he arrived at the Xiao-Long household, Yang and Raven greeted him. Raven made a portal to Ruby at her now empty apartment.

They walked through Vale to the restaurant Nora told them to go to. Vale was bustling with life as they walked. Oscar hadn't realized he missed the bustling city. The kingdom that his predecessor ruled and loved. The newly constructed Beacon tower was just barely visible from where they were. Oscar stared up at it, almost expecting to see Ozpin staring back at him from the window.

"It's coooold," Ruby complained. She shuffled closer to Yang. She shivered at meeting Yang's cold, metal arm. She decided against the metal and moved closer to Oscar's warm body. Yang walked on without caring. Instead, she smiled at the two.

"Well you two have certainly gotten closer," Yang remarked.

"Oscar's my only friend left in Patch, so we've been hanging out a lot," Ruby shrugged.

"We have a movie night every weekend. It goes on until Tai kicks me out," Oscar added.

"Why? Doing something you shouldn't?" Yang smirked.

"No!" they both shouted at her.

"The first movie night we had, we watched movies for two straight days. Tai got mad and I was exhausted at work the next day."

"Wow. I feel like I should have expected something like that," Yang chuckled. "But I'm glad I don't have to beat you into the ground, Oscar."

"Thanks?"

"We should have a movie night when we get back!" Ruby gasped. "Yang you get to choose the movie!"

"Oh? I'm in the mood for some action movie!"

"Yeah! That sounds awesome!" Ruby cheered.

"Hey you guys!" they heard Nora call to them. Up ahead Nora, Ren, and Jaune stood out on the sidewalk. Nora was waving to them.

"Nora! Ren! Jaune!" Ruby waved back and quickened her pace. Oscar followed close behind her, excited to see his old friends again.

"Wow! I had no idea you three were coming!" Jaune grinned when Ruby pulled him into a hug. He fist bumped Oscar before pulling him into a side hug.

"It's so good to see you again, Jaune," Oscar smiled.

"Well same old, same old," he shrugged. Jaune still wore a black hoodie, jeans, and a red cloth around his waist and had become a bit more muscular since their first meeting. He had changed the most in a different sense than the others. Jaune held himself higher and with more confidence.

"Hey, good to see you again. How's keeping Nora in check?" Yang slapped Ren on the back.

"She's a handful as usual," Ren laughed. Ren's hair was as long as ever, but was now kept in a long, singe braid. For the occasion, he wore black pants and a green dress shirt peeked out from under his pink "King of the Castle" sweater that was obviously picked by Nora.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ bad!" Nora put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's good too see that you two haven't changed," Oscar smiled. Ren smiled and awkwardly placed his hand on his neck.

"Are we going to stay out here all night or can we go in and get some food? I'm hungry!" Nora complained.

The group laughed and started entering the building. Ruby lingered outside for a little longer, watching the others enter the restaurant. Oscar noticed her and stopped. He watched her face for a moment. It was filled with that expression of sadness and nostalgia he'd been seeing from her.

"Are you coming?" he called to her. Ruby snapped out of it and smiled at him. She nodded and joined him inside.


	6. Chapter 6

"I hate how cold it is," Ruby shivered. She cozied up to Oscar.

Patch was quiet. Crickets played lullabies that drew day animals to sleep and woke nocturnal animals. Fireflies danced to the melodies of the crickets. The wind sang along in cold breaths that chilled the pair walking in the night.

"We're almost at my apartment, I'll heat up something warm for you," Oscar offered.

"That sounds nice…" she breathed. They walked on in silence for a little while longer. Oscar finally broke the silence.

"Ren and Nora are getting married. I still can't believe it," he confessed. Ruby smiled at him.

"Isn't it great? They make such a cute couple!"

"It is," he remarked. Oscar paused for a moment. "Everybody is doing so well. They're all so… grown up now…"

"Yeah, well, these things tend to happen," she chirped. "I think you have too!"

"Thanks. You've changed a lot too."

"I have?"

"Yeah, you still act cheerful all the time, but there are moments that I can see you're thinking about something. I don't know what it is, but you get sort of… sullen. Like you're thinking about some important thing."

"Really? Well with the move and everything I've been kind of stressed lately."

"If you need to talk about anything, remember that I'm always here."

"Thanks." Ruby smiled. She hesitated for a moment. "Hey Oscar?"

"We're here." Oscar stopped at the entrance of a small house with two front doors side by side. He dug around his pockets for his key.

"This is where you live?" Ruby asked. Oscar nodded.

"The owners told me a huntsman used to live here. When he passed, his children divided the house and now they rent it out. I live on the first floor."

"Who lives on the second floor?" Ruby asked.

"Nobody right now," Oscar shrugged as he unlocked his front door. "A couple used to live upstairs, but they moved out a few months ago."

"Maybe I should move in!" Ruby laughed. "We'd be neighbors! I could visit you everyday and won't have to worry about you being kicked out during movie night!"

"That would be fun," Oscar laughed at the notion. He opened the door and gestured her in. "Welcome to my humble abode."

Ruby walked in and looked around. She smiled at the small apartment. The apartment was tidy, spare for a few books laying around. There weren't many decorations, but there were many plants. Ruby could count five just by taking a quick look at what she could see. There was even a small potted plant on the shoe rack next to the entrance. Ruby giggled and played with the leaves of the flowers.

"I knew you grew up on a farm and all, but I never took you as such a green thumb," Ruby laughed. Oscar shrugged.

"Well these things don't leave you easily. Also farming and gardening aren't the same thing. I find tending to flowers is easier and more relaxing than growing an acre of crops."

"Hmm… interesting."

"Those are Vacuo violets, by the way. They can bloom all year round."

"Wow so even Vacuo can create something like this…" Ruby breathed.

"I'll go make some hot chocolate." Oscar hung up his coat and walked further into the house. Ruby trailed behind him.

"Your apartment is so cute~!" she giggled.

"Thanks, I guess. I'm not much of a decorator though…"

Ruby followed Oscar to the kitchen. She sat herself at his table and watched him prepare the hot chocolate. He leaned against the counter as he waited for the water to boil.

"You know, I have a living room. You can go there if you want, it's more comfortable."

"I like it here. It means we can talk," Ruby smiled. Oscar smiled back at her. "Maybe I should make some cookies to go with the hot chocolate."

"That might take too long. Also I don't think I have any ingredients."

"Hm… next time I come over we should bake some cookies."

"Next time? Are you already planning to drop by again?" Oscar chuckled. Ruby just grinned.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well I mean, aren't you moving soon?"

"Yeah, but I haven't figured out where. Maybe I should move in with you." Oscar laughed.

"You can try, but I don't think Tai will be too happy." Ruby hummed in agreement.

"I'm an adult now. I can choose where I want to live!" she stated confidently. "And I think I'll choose here."

"Whatever you say." The kettle whined and Oscar started pouring the water into two separate mugs. He handed one to Ruby. "Why would you want to live with me?"

"I'm guessing you could use the company. You don't get a lot of guests, do you?"

"What makes you think so?"

"There's only one chair at this table. You're even awkwardly leaning on the counter because there's nowhere else to sit. If you had another chair you would have pulled it up by now."

"You caught me," he laughed. "Very good deduction, Ruby Rose."

"Want to move somewhere we can both sit?" she laughed.

"Sure. Living room?" Ruby nodded.

They took their drinks to Oscar's small living room. Oscar flipped on the tv and quickly found a show to put on. But the two just talked instead of watching. They warmed their hands on the warm mugs and laughed at stories. Ruby gulped down the last of her hot chocolate. She sighed in content and held the cup out.

"That was warming. Could you make me some more?" she asked. Oscar smiled and took her cup.

"Sure. I think I have some marshmallows. Want any in your hot chocolate?"

"Yes please! As many as you can fit on the top!" He chuckled.

Oscar walked to the kitchen and started heating up some more water. He leaned against the counter once more as he waited. He closed his eyes and lost himself to his thoughts.

Since Ruby was moving back to Patch, they would be spending more time together. He could look forward to that. It had been a long time since he had someone to talk to and hang out with. But Ruby herself had changed. She was quieter and had a melancholy vibe. Is it maturity? Or did something bad happen? How he wanted to take that sad look from her face.

The kettle screamed that it was finished, snapping Oscar from his thoughts. He sighed and poured them more hot chocolate. He grabbed the two mugs by the handle and walked to the living room. Ruby wasn't there. Oscar set the mugs on the coffee table and started looking around for her. He called out her name, but got no response. He checked the bathroom, nobody there. He checked his office, empty, He checked his bedroom, nothing.

He walked back to the living room, perplexed on where the huntress had gone. He felt a chill in the room and grabbed a blanket from beside the couch. He realized that the door to the back porch was slightly ajar. He grabbed both mugs and made his way to the porch. Ruby sat on the stairs to the backyard. She just stared up at the stars. Oscar set the two mugs next to her. He draped the blanket over her shoulders. Ruby looked up at him in surprise.

"It's not nice to leave the door open on a cold night," Oscar smiled. He closed the door and came to sit next to her.

"Sorry, I just needed some fresh air."

"So? What are you thinking about?"

"Nora and Ren are getting married… Jaune is a world-famous hunter… Yang is moving to Atlas soon to help Weiss with her company… Blake and Sun are doing amazing work for faunus equality… And you're a teacher. Everybody is doing amazing things. Compared to them? I'm just a failed huntress."

"You're an amazing huntress, Ruby. I can tell you that my students admire you, even Jett. Did you know that he was a troublemaker? Ever since you saved him, he's been earnestly working towards becoming a genuine huntsman."

"Thanks, but that's not what I'm upset about."

"Then what is it?" Ruby leaned her head against his shoulder, causing him to flinch a little.

"Maybe another day. I want to enjoy this moment." Ruby closed her eyes. Oscar wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "You're warm…"

###

Ruby woke up in a soft bed. She groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was quick to realize that it wasn't her bed. Ruby looked around the unfamiliar room. She was quick to spot a pair of suspenders hanging from the closet handle. It didn't take long for her to realize that this was probably Oscar's room.

She walked out of the room and went to the living room. She heard the tv talking faintly. She peered around the corner and found Oscar sitting on the couch munching on cereal. He wore a plain t-shirt and plaid long pajama pants. He looked up when Ruby walked into the room.

"Morning," he called to her. Ruby rubbed her eyes again to rid of the sleepiness.

"Morning," she yawned.

"I didn't really prepare anything special for breakfast, but there's cereal in the cupboard and you can make toast if you want."

"Thanks," she yawned again. She was never completely a morning person. Sure she would get up early is she was excited about a mission or something, but most days it took a while to get up.

Ruby fixed herself a quick bowl of cereal before sitting down next to Oscar. Like the night before, she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"What are you watching?" Ruby asked.

"Just a documentary on Mountain Glenn."

"Boring. I've been there. It's mostly wrecked buildings.

"Don't let Oobleck hear you say that," Oscar laughed. He sighed, remembering his offer.

"Hey, you're pretty tense, are you alright?" Ruby looked up at him.

"Well you're leaning on me for one thing."

"You're comfy," Ruby shrugged. "Anyways, is there anything better on? This documentary is pretty boring."

"Alright, alright miss bossy." Oscar flipped to cartoons.

"I'm grown up, Oscar. What makes you think I want to watch cartoons?" Oscar gave her a look. "Ok, yeah I do, but these are for kids! There's no real plot and the humor is just stupid!"

"Whatever you say." He handed her the remote. Ruby scrolled through the stations, finding nothing, she turned the tv off.

"Know what? There's nothing good on. Let's do something else."

"Like?"

"I don't know… hey can I borrow some of your clothes? I want to freak Yang out when I return home. Maybe give me a hickey or something"

"I am not doing that," Oscar replied deadpan. "Your entire family would kill me."

"I'll make sure they don't."

"But, if you want to borrow clothes, go right ahead. Just make sure you return them."

"So you're alright with the clothes?"

"I figured there's no stopping you."

"You would be correct," Ruby laughed. She gobbled up the rest of her cereal and practically slammed it on the table. She started pulling on Oscar's arm. He sighed and followed her to his room.

"Just don't take any of my work clothes," Oscar stated. He sat on his bed as Ruby rummaged through his closet.

"That's most of your clothes," Ruby laughed. She pulled out one of his old button-up shirts. "This ok?"

"Go ahead." Oscar leaned back and covered his face with a pillow as Ruby changed.

"Tada!" He took the pillow off his face. Ruby looked very pleased with herself. He was surprised how his shirt was almost like a dress on her. When they first met, they probably could have fit in each other's clothes.

"You're really excited about your little joke, aren't you?"

"Yup!" Ruby grinned. She twirled around. Then she started giggling. "It's almost like we're dating."

"Do you want to?" Ruby's face turned to panic.

"What?! I don't know! It- It was just a joke! I mean- not to say you're not handsome or anything- because you are- I mean not in a weird way!"

"Relax, I was just teasing you," Oscar laughed. Ruby let out a sigh of relief. She plopped down next to him with a pout on her face.

"That wasn't nice at all."

"Sorry, I just saw the opportunity to."

"I mean, we're friends, right?"

"Says the girl wearing my clothes to make her sister think we're together," Oscar smiled. Ruby smiled back. There was a silence between them, a comfortable one.

Ruby's scroll ringing snapped both of them from their trance. Ruby grabbed her scroll and checked the ID/

"It's Yang. I should take this as my cue to leave. I'll tell you how much she freaks out next time."

"I look forward to it."

Ruby got up and grabbed her things. Oscar helped her and gave her a bag for her clothes. He walked Ruby to the door.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked.

"I'll be fine, thank you though."

"Be safe."

"I will, I will." Ruby put her coat on. Oscar handed her, her red scarf. Ruby wrapped it around her neck. She waved him goodbye and left.

Oscar returned to the living room and turned the tv on back to the documentary. The apartment felt a little colder.


	7. Chapter 7

Oscar felt completely drained of energy. The first thing he did when he returned home was flop down on the couch.

"Wow, rough day at work, huh?" He didn't even have to look up to know who it was.

"Ruby, stop breaking into my house when I'm not home." He looked up to where Ruby sat on the floor in front of the tv. She munched on a container of cookies.

"Well I have a key so it's not technically breaking in."

"I gave _Tai_ that key for _emergencies_. Stop using it to take my food!"

"I was hungry and bored Mr. Grumpypants. Was work really that bad?" Oscar groaned and buried his face in his pillow.

"Yes. It was very very _very_ busy. Flann put me on the team that's going to be organizing spirit week."

"Oooh. I loved spirit week. But isn't it just thinking of fun themes that only like a quarter of the students participate in?"

"At normal schools, yes. But this is Signal we're talking about." Ruby thought a moment and nodded her head in agreement.

"One of the days, huntsmen are called in to demonstrate different aspects of being a huntsman, right? I loooved seeing all their weapons! But what makes that so difficult? Can't you just call in a bunch of the locals? I could even do a small demonstration."

"Normally, yes. But guess who Tai mentioned that I know?"

"You know a lot of huntsmen."

"It's Weiss, Ruby. Tai told them I'm friends with Weiss."

"Wait… so is Weiss coming to Patch?!" Ruby's eyes light up. Oscar nodded. "This is great news! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Well it wasn't set in stone yet. Weiss confirmed this morning, so everybody's been in a frenzy to make spirit week bigger and better. It's going to get worse once we announce it."

"But Weiss is coming to Patch! Aren't you excited?!" Oscar propped himself up to get a better look at Ruby. Her smile was contagious.

"I am," he smiled back at her.

"There's a smile!" Ruby jumped up. She dashed over to Oscar's side. "In honor of you bringing my best friend to Patch, I shall let you choose what video game we play."

"The honor is mine milady." Oscar laughed. "But you just wanted to play video games, didn't you?"

"Shhh! Now choose!" She shoved her scroll in his face.

"How about Lethal Combat?"

"Are you trying to lose?!" Ruby taunted as she started setting up the game.

"I'll have you know, I've been practicing, Rose."

"Bring it on, Pine!"

Ruby dropped her controller in shock as the game announced Soaring Ninja's win. Oscar sat beside her with a smug grin on his face.

"That's one point Pine! Finally!" She sook her head, snapping herself out of the shock.

"Fine, I'll give you that game, but you still have a long way to go before you're anywhere close to my level."

"And what is your level, milady?"

"I'm better than Yang now," she scoffed.

"Oh? Is that so? And Qrow?"

"You're sounding pretty cocky for someone that won only one round. You don't even come close to Uncle Qrow's skills in video games!"

"So I'll take that as a no." Ruby stuck her tongue out at him. "Up for another round?"

"You're on!"

They restarted the round. Large numbers counted down until "Start!" popped up in big red letters. Oscar focused on blocking and dodging Ruby's attacks. He attacked her whenever there was a small opening. Since he had started practicing, he had leveled up from button-mashing to actual fighting. Ruby hesitated a moment and Oscar took that opportunity to hit her with everything he had. He attacked in combos until "Finish Him!" appeared on the screen. He had won. The game announced Oscar's victory and he cheered.

"Yes! Two points Pine! Ruby, don't tell me you're going so…." His words trailed off.

Ruby lay motionless on the ground.

"Ruby? Ruby!"

###

Ruby woke up in her bed at home. Her head was fuzzy and her body ached. She sat up with a groan and assessed her surroundings. Her room was the same as usual. Her father would be sleeping in a chair next to her bed… or not.

Oscar was asleep next to her. He sat on the ground, resting his head on her bed. He held her hand as he slept. Ruby smiled fondly at him. She reached out to touch him, hesitating a little before moving his bangs aside to see his face. He looked peaceful.

She felt a surge of courage swell in her body. She decided to do something she had been wanting to do for weeks now. Ruby leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you for everything, Oscar," she whispered. The action caused Oscar to stir and Ruby to jerk back. Oscar drowsily opened his eyes. It took him a moment to realize that Ruby was awake. When he noticed, he jolted awake.

"Ruby!" His face showed pure worry. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"A little sore… but mostly fine," she smiled assuredly. Oscar's expression didn't change. Ruby dropped the smile and avoided looking into his eyes. "So… what happened?"

"We were playing video games and you passed out. I called Tai and we brought you home," Oscar looked down. He didn't say anything else. Ruby sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"What did my dad tell you?"

"He… he told me you were sick. And not like a cold kind of sick. Really sick…" Ruby took a deep breath to muster up her courage. She looked straight at Oscar.

"Oscar. I'm dying."

"I…" He couldn't even look at her. He had known something was bothering her, but not something this big. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I don't know…"

"Please! You can tell me!" he begged. "Ruby?"

"I didn't… I just didn't want to." She took another deep breath. "You were the one thing in my life that was going right. I didn't want to ruin that."

"Ruby-"

"I didn't _want_ to stop being a huntress! I didn't _want_ to move back to Patch! Everybody's been weird around me since they found out. Better be nice to Ruby because she doesn't have much time left! It's depressing! Then you came along and treated me the same as ever. I didn't want to lose that."

Tears began streaming down Ruby's face. She bit her lips as she choked back her sobs. Oscar panicked a little. He didn't know what to do and awkwardly moved his arms in weird patterns. Finally, he reached over and pulled her into a hug. Ruby was too surprised to speak at first. She buried her head into his shoulder and hugged him back.

"I'm here. I won't change if you don't want me to, but please tell me what I can do. I can help."

"I know," she muttered. "But this isn't something you can help with."

Ruby pulled away before he could say another word. She silently lifted up her shirt to reveal her stomach. What Oscar saw, turned his blood to ice. Ruby's skin was pitch black. It oozed its way through her veins, across her stomach and up her chest. Her pink flesh was cracking around the infected veins, revealing the black tar.

Oscar reached out to touch it. He hesitated, waiting for Ruby to give him a sign that it was fine. She gave a small little nod. He lightly touched the back spots. It was cold. There was no life.

"Does it hurt?" Ruby nodded.

"Everyday. I black out from the pain if I strain myself too much or don't take enough pain killers. Remember when we met at the Jade Forest? I lied about fainting from hunger… I just didn't want to tell you about this. I'm sorry."

"It's almost like… are you…?" Oscar pulled his hand away from her stomach.

"Turning into a grimm? At this point I wouldn't be surprised." Ruby sighed, faking a joking smile. "We don't really know what's going to happen. I might die, I might turn to grimm. Either way I'm gone soon."

"Please don't sound so morbid."

"Well it's the truth," she sighed.

Oscar didn't say anything. He had lost so many people close to him. He just never imagined Ruby to be one of them.

"Was it Salem? Did Salem do this?" Ruby nodded wordlessly.

Oscar slammed his fist into the mattress of her bed. Even now Salem was still trying to take what was precious to him. Tears started rolling down his cheeks. He tried to rub them away before Ruby saw them.

"So? What are you going to do now that you know?"

"Well first I'm going to tell Tai you're awake. Raven has been trying to keep him away so that I could stay with you for a bit. I'm sure he'll be happy to know that you're awake." Oscar got up and started leaving the room.

"Oscar?" Ruby called out to him, making him hesitate in the doorway. "Please don't blame yourself. You've already shouldered the burden of so many. I don't want this to be another one." Oscar sighed.

"Thank you for thinking about me."

He left the room. He went downstairs to the kitchen to start fixing something to help her recover her strength. In truth, Tai had gone out to get Ruby's medicine. The house was empty. Oscar leaned against the kitchen wall. He slid down to the floor. He could no longer hold back his sobs.


	8. Chapter 8

Flann checked herself in the mirror again. She brushed hair aside and made sure her makeup was on point. Oscar drummed his fingers on his legs as he waited for her to finish. He watched the crowd pass around them.

"You look fine, Flann. We're just picking her up, not going to a big gala or something." Oscar finally said.

"But everything needs to be perfect!" Flann countered. "We're hosting Weiss _Schnee_. She's a big name now!"

"She's a person just like you and I."

"Where did Ruby go?" Flann asked, worriedly. "She's going to be late."

"She went to the gift shop. She'll be back soon." Oscar watched as the train started rolling in. Beside him, Flann got even more worried. He sighed, knowing that it would be fine.

The train rolled to a stop. A few moments later, people started streaming out. Oscar squinted, waiting for Weiss to come out. He watched as a woman with bright blonde hair stepped out of the train. She carried a yellow duffle bag on one shoulder and a white case in the other hand. She helped a white-haired woman with her luggage. Oscar grinned and waved Weiss over. He could see Weiss smile back and start to rush over.

"Oscar!" Weiss waved back at him.

"Still a hugger?" he joked when she approached. Weiss rolled her eyes and gave him a big hug.

"Only for friends."

"Weiss, this is my coworker and friend, Flann."

"Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Schnee." Flann stuck out her hand. Weiss shook it.

"No need for formalities. A friend of Oscar is a friend of mine."

"Weiss! I said I'd be your bodyguard for the trip! Not your personal porter!" Yang appeared behind Weiss, carrying loads of matching white luggage.

"Sorry, Yang."

"Hi Yang. It's good to see you again," Oscar smiled.

"You too." Yang smiled back. "Oh, Oscar, I have something for you."

Before he could ask what it was, Yang reached out and punched him in the face. It wasn't hard in terms of what Yang could do, but it still sent him stumbling backwards. He put a hand on the injured cheek, activating his aura to quickly heal it. He gaped at her, shocked as to why she punched him.

"For the little prank you and Ruby pulled. Not. Cool."

"It was Ruby's prank…" he muttered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" he quickly replied.

"Well then," Weiss pulled the conversation back to a pleasant place. "Shall we get going? I would love to see Signal."

"Uh, well we're waiting for someone," Flann replied.

"Who?"

"Probably that." Yang pointed behind Oscar and Flann. A swirling vortex of red and rose petals was barreling towards them. Yang and Oscar stepped out of the way, knowing exactly what was going to happen. Even Weiss groaned in frustration, setting her bags down so that they wouldn't get damaged.

"Weeeeeiiiiissss!" The red vortex pushed Weiss back a few feet before stopping. Ruby clung to Weiss in a tight hug. "Aaaaaahhh! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Ruby," Weiss smiled a little.

"Aaaah! I have so much I want to talk about!"

"Let's get to that later," Oscar cut in. He grabbed some of Weiss's luggage from Yang. "Flann and I need to head back to Signal before our break is over."

"Oh right! Weiss you'll love Signal! Both Yang and I went there!" Ruby jumped in excitement.

"There are some teachers that I'd like to say hi to." Yang slung her bag over her shoulder.

The group started walking towards the parking lot. Ruby excitedly started filling Weiss in on settling into Patch. Oscar and Yang had to stuff all of Weiss's luggage into Flann's car. It was moderately sized, but Weiss was always known to overpack. Oscar sat up front while the girls piled into the back. While Ruby excitedly talked to Weiss, Oscar decided to get some work done. He opened his scroll and started typing notes.

After a while of working, he felt a little hit on the back of his head. He turned around to Weiss rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Do you always work?" she asked with an amused tone.

"Most of the time, yeah." He closed his scroll to join the conversation.

"I was pretty surprised you became a teacher," she started. "I'm surprised you even wanted to continue being a huntsman after everything that happened."

"I admit, I'm still not fond of fighting, but at least with teaching I can help in a different way."

"You've grown up," she smiled.

"Stop treating me like a kid! I'm only four years younger than you!" Oscar groaned, turning back around to face forward. He could see Weiss stick her tongue out at him in the rearview mirror.

"Oscar's actually a really good teacher!" Ruby chirped. "He ran head first into a horde of beowolves to save one of his students. What was his name again?"

"Jett. I never thanked you for that," he sighed and turned to look at the silver-eyed huntress. "He used to be a troublemaker, but ever since you talked to him he's been genuinely trying his best. I think you left an impression and trust me, I'm thankful."

"Glad to be of service!" she grinned. Oscar couldn't help but smile back. He suddenly felt a little awkward by the smile and dropped it to turn around again.

"Hey Weiss, how are you doing in Atlas?" Oscar tried to change the subject. Weiss groaned and he knew he had made a slight mistake.

"It's been busy to say the least," she chose her words carefully. "Thanks to Winter and Ironwood we've partnered with Atlas to provided dust discounts to the students. It helps business tremendously."

"I'm surprised that Ironwood didn't do more," he commented.

"Well Atlas is still very much attached to Schnee Dust. My father even threatened to cut ties with Ironwood for even providing any support for me, but Ironwood threatened him right back. It was somewhat amusing."

"Ironwood's been a big help," Yang added. "He sends us his students for dust expeditions and even upgraded my arm for no charge!"

"I didn't even notice! It looks almost the same!" Ruby gasped.

"Yeah well the paint job is my doing. But it's got tons of cool upgrades."

"Let me guess, it's also a gun?" he asked sarcastically.

"I mean, it's always had that feature."

"What can it do now?!" Ruby excitedly asked her sister. She seemed really eager to see a new weapon.

"Well I now have a vibrate function." Oscar could see Weiss bury her head into the palm of her hands in complete frustration and disappointment. Ruby didn't quite get it at first, but seeing Weiss's reaction made her realize what she meant.

"Why?!" Oscar was the first to shout. Ruby tried her best to still seem impressed, but she was visibly freaking out. Yang started laughing.

"I'm just joking!"

"Get better jokes, Yang." Weiss groaned.

"You should have seen Weiss's face when I pulled that joke on her. Her face turned completely red and she looked really flustered." Weiss stuck her tongue out at Yang who returned the action. Ruby and Oscar exchanged a knowing glance.

"So… uh you two seem really close," Ruby spoke up with a smug little grin on her face. She pulled the two of them out of their little game.

"Yeah, but not as close as you and Oscar have been," Yang retorted.

"What do you mean?"

"Really? I'm surprised that you two ar-"

"Hey look! We're at Signal!" Oscar cheered. He desperately did not want this conversation to continue. Especially not with Flann in the car. It would only add more oil to the fire. A fire, he might add, that had spiraled out of control long ago.

Flann parked her car in the teacher's lot and everybody hurried out. Oscar started a little tour, which quickly was taken over by Ruby and Yang. They excitedly pointed to things that they remembered from their days at Signal. Oscar took this time to split away from the group and return to his classroom.

When the bell rang, he watched as his students filtered in. He began writing some of the day's lesson points on the board so he would have something to do as he waited. His students excitedly chatted about too many different topics. Quite a few were bragging about having seen Weiss in the halls. Oscar eventually had to quiet the class down and begin the lesson.

"Uh… Mr. Pine?" a student raised their hand. Oscar balanced the textbook on his arm as he pointed to the student. "I think there's someone looking for you."

The student pointed to the door. In the door's window, Ruby's face was smushed against the glass. The entire class's attention was now on the huntress. She noticed Oscar staring at her with an annoyed face. She awkwardly smiled and disappeared from the window. Outside, he could hear Weiss and Yang call after her. Oscar sighed and set down the textbook. He went to the door and swung it open. Ruby stood next to Weiss and Yang as if she had been just passing by.

"Oh hey Oscar! I forgot this was your classroom!" Ruby said, in a very fake tone. He had known she wasn't a great actor, but this wasn't even trying.

"If you wanted to observe my class, all you had to do was ask." He crossed his arms.

"We don't want to bother you," Yang said.

"That sounds fun!" Ruby said at the same time. The two sisters looked at each other. A devious smile crept onto Yang's face.

"Actually, you're right. We want Weiss to get the full Signal experience."

"Uh, no! We still have a lot in the school to see," Ruby retracted her previous statement. Weiss sighed, shaking her head in disappointment.

"They're playing some sort of mind game right now. I'd love to observe your class, Oscar." He beckoned them in.

"Class, this is Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao-Long, and Ruby Rose," Oscar announced. "They're three highly capable huntresses that will be observing our class today. Please be on your best behavior."

The three girls sat in the free seats in the back of the classroom. He resumed his lesson. He talked to his students about grimm. As per the usual life of a teacher, nobody seemed that interested in the lesson. Those that took notes were writing too much to truly pay attention. He could even see a few heads nodding asleep. Ruby in the back seemed the most interested, despite already having seen and easily defeating most of the grimm he talked about. Realizing he was at the end of the chapter, he decided to let his students have some time. He closed the textbook.

"Alright. Break into groups and complete pages thirty to thirty-six in your grimm identification packets. Any work not completed in class must be completed for homework."

He could see his students' faces immediately begin to light up and look around at their friends. Oscar went to the back of the classroom where his friends were. He sat down at a free desk near them.

"I can give you guys a packet if you're bored," he joked.

"Oh please, we've dealt with grimm way worse than what you're teaching them," Weiss scoffed. "Why don't you tell them about some of the bad grimm you've dealt with. It'll help them prepare more."

"That's true, but this is more of an introductory course. They'll learn more about physiology and powerful grimm when they go to an academy. Besides, I hope they never have to deal with what we had to."

"But it's still so cool to learn about new grimm!" Ruby grinned. All three of them looked at her. "What?"

"No, it's nothing," he shook his head. "You're still enthusiastic about grimm as ever, I see."

"Oh come on. Beowolves, Ursa, even Death Stalkers, they're no match for us!" Yang flexed. The group burst into laughter.

Oscar looked around his class, already seeing hands in the air. He felt disappointed being pulled from the girls. He looked back over to them to see Yang talking about some powerful grimm she's fought.

"It looks like work calls." Oscar stood up. "It's just going to be like this for a while. If you want to go back to your tour, don't wait up for me."

"Hm… Oh! Dad might be free right now! We should go visit him!" Ruby suggested.

"Sounds good," Yang agreed. Oscar bid them goodbye and returned to attending to his students. Before he could reach the first group, he felt someone hugging him from behind.

"Good luck!" It was Ruby's voice. "I'll see you later, Oscar!"

He didn't have time to see her. He only saw the trail of rose petals that floated out his door. Oscar smiled to himself a little. He grabbed a little petal from the air and held it in his hand for a moment. He wondered if it would disappear as she had.


	9. Chapter 9

Oscar groaned, seeing the three huntresses making themselves at home. Ruby and Yang sat in front of the tv playing a videogame while Weiss sat on the couch and read a book. He calmed himself and decided to just grab a snack and roll with it.

"Hi Oscar! Welcome home!" Ruby called when he passed through the living room.

"Hey Ruby. This is becoming too often an occurrence to even get mad anymore. Tai's going to get annoyed eventually if you keep taking his keys." He continued his walk to the kitchen, setting his briefcase on the kitchen table and began rummaging through his cabinets.

"Uh, well actually dad was still at Signal and Raven wouldn't give me the key, so I just took your spare. I found out where you hid it."

"You what?!" Oscar slammed the cabinet door. He ran to the entrance of the living room. He saw Weiss shaking her head. "Ruby! That's hidden for a _reason_."

"Sorry. I brought it inside so you could hide it again."

"Just keep it," he groaned and sauntered back to the kitchen. "You visit enough anyways."

He grabbed a large bag of pretzels and returned to the others. He sat on the couch next to Weiss. He offered her some, but she refused.

"I'm sorry for showing up like this, Oscar." Weiss apologized. " _Ruby_ said that this was her friend's house and that we could hang out here for a while."

"Hey! Oscar's a friend! So I wasn't lying!" she retorted. Oscar chuckled.

"It's fine. Ruby just sort of shows up here most days. I've gotten pretty used to it."

Oscar looked over to where Ruby and Yang were fighting both physically and in the game. Ruby was trying to kick Yang while Yang blocked all her attempts with her arm. It seemed to be some sibling fight that he just didn't understand. Weiss rolled her eyes.

"They've been like this all day!" she complained. "Ever since we got to Signal!"

"Uh oh, what happened?"

"Your coworker, uh, Flann. Does she always ask about relationships?"

"Yeah. It's her way of teasing the younger teachers like me. What did she do this time?"

"She thought you and Ruby were dat-" A pillow hit the wall right next to Weiss's head.

"Missed!" Ruby grumbled. Weiss grabbed a pillow and threw it back at Ruby.

"You are so immature! I was just explaining!"

"Don't! It's embarrassing!" Ruby screamed in embarrassment. Yang was laughing as Weiss rolled her eyes again.

"Ruby don't think too much about it," Oscar smiled at her. "Flann is the type to ask her children when she's getting grandchildren. She's really nice and means no harm."

"But it was still embarrassing…"

"I'll talk to her about it tomorrow." He smiled again. Next thing he knew there was a pillow in his face.

"Never let your guard down, Pine," she laughed maniacally.

"Oh? You know I think today I'll beat you in your little games."

"Just you try!" Ruby bounced up and went into a ninja pose.

"Ok, ok you two. I'm getting hungry," Yang cut in. "Let's settle this with a race to For Pizza's Sake!"

"You're on!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Loser has to pay," Oscar challenged.

"Hah! Hope your wallet is ready because there's no way I'm gonna lose!"

"Why pizza?" Weiss asked Yang.

"Dad used to take us all the time when he was working late. I kid you not, best pizza in all of Patch!" she explained. "Now… on your marks… get set… go!"

Ruby burst into a cloud of rose petals.

"Hey! No using your semblance!" Oscar shouted after her.

"It wasn't in the rules!" she laughed. He ran to the front door to grab his coat. He was just in time to see Ruby disappear out the door. He hurriedly grabbed his coat and started putting on his shoes. He was right about to leave when Yang grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.

"I knew she was going to do that. But I wanted to talk to you."

Oscar looked out the door to where Ruby disappeared to. He sighed, knowing there was no way to catch up with her. He waited for Yang and Weiss to put their coats on and leave with him.

"Ruby told you about those black marks, didn't she?" Yang asked.

"Yeah…" He looked at his feet. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Weiss smiling kindly at him.

"Any idea of what they are?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but unfortunately I have a pretty good idea."

"Grimmification?" Oscar shook his head. He could hear Weiss and Yang sigh in relief.

"It's… a curse."

"A curse? How can you be so sure?" Weiss asked.

"From my predecessor's memories. Curses like it used to be common."

"Is there any way to break it?" Yang asked. Oscar shook her head.

"The curse she has takes just a small portion of their aura. You know, to weaken them a bit. Normally it should go away after a few days, but Ruby's hasn't. Her aura… her life is slowly being taken from her." His teeth clenched together as his hands tightened into fists. "I don't know what to do."

"It's not fair," Yang quietly said. "After everything she's been through, this is what happens?"

"Some heroes never get to see what their endeavors accomplished."

"We're acting like she's already dead!" Weiss snapped. "It's Ruby we're talking about! She'll find a way to pull through this."

"Weiss-" Oscar began with a shake of his head.

"No, she's right," Yang cut him off. "Ruby's strong. Besides, she has Oscar now."

"What? Me?"

"Yeah. You haven't noticed? She's been looking way better since you two started hanging out again."

"I can't say that I have…"

"Well either way, I'm glad that she's happier. I can't be there for her right now, so could you watch after her for me?" Oscar was going to say something, but he looked at Yang's face. He had always seen her as the strong one, but when he looked at her, her expression was gentle. It was almost pleading.

"I will."

"Good. Now let's concentrate on pizza! Ruby better have ordered something good!"

"I almost forgot!" Oscar started running. "I'll see you guys there!"

He ran the rest of the way to the pizzeria. When he got there, Ruby was already seated at a table. She smiled and waved him over when she saw him. He was almost completely out of breath when he sat down. Regardless, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her.

"What took you so long?!" she laughed. She pushed her drink closer to him which he chugged down in a single gulp. "Hey! I was drinking that!"

"That's what you get for using your semblance like that." He slammed the glass down with a laugh.

"So where's Weiss and Yang?"

"They're coming. I don't think they were too interested in joining our race."

"I wonder if we should make them pay."

"Hey if it means I don't have to pay, let's do it."

A waitress came up to take his drink order. She briefly left after he ordered. As she was walking away, Oscar recognized a familiar face passing by the table.

"Marigold!" Oscar waved to his coworker. She turned and waved back. She split from her friend group to talk to him.

"Hi Oscar! Funny seeing you here. I didn't know you uh… well had a social life."

"He never really has," Ruby joked.

"Ruby!" he hissed.

"And you're Ruby Rose, right? Tai's daughter."

"That's right!" she chirped.

"Tell him that I said hi."

"Will do!"

"So what are you doing here?" Oscar asked Marigold.

"Just a girl's night out. You?"

"I guess you could say so. Just meeting with some friends."

"Fun," she laughed a little. "I'm going to head back to my friends, but I'll see you tomorrow, Oscar. And it was nice seeing you again, Ruby."

"Bye Marigold." Oscar waved to her as she left.

"You have quite a few friends at Signal," Ruby commented. She absentmindedly stirred her cup of ice.

"Jealous?" he said with a chuckle. She stopped stirring her cup and fervently shook her head.

"No! Not at all! In fact I'm glad! You have a bunch of friends now."

"Well if it's any consolation, you'll always be my best friend."

"I'm not jealous, but… thanks," she sheepishly muttered the last part. "Wow! Yang and Weiss are taking a long time! I wonder what's the hold up?"

He knew that she was trying to change the subject. He wanted to tease her, but her expression was a bit strange. Oscar decided to drop it and play along. It wasn't long before Weiss and Yang appeared at their table. Yang kept sharing stories of things that had happened when she and Ruby were children. Their chatting didn't stop when the pizza arrived.

"Same recipe. It's great," Yang laughed. "Whenever Ruby and I had a sleepover with friends, we'd always get the pizza here."

"We? I never had sleepovers. You and your friends always kept me up until I shut myself in the guest room," Ruby retorted.

"Oh come on, we always invited you in."

"But you and your friends did nothing but talk about boys! It was boring!"

"Yeah? Didn't you once look around for a boyfriend at Beacon? Wasn't so boring then."

"I was young!" Ruby blushed.

"And what about your old crush on Oscar?" Oscar began choking on his slice of pizza. He banged on his chest a few times before chugging his water.

"Yang!" Ruby's face matched her cape.

"You had a crush on me?!" Oscar nearly screamed. Ruby tried burying her head in the table. When that didn't work, she covered her head with her arms.

"It was a really really long time ago, ok? I'm over it now."

"I can't believe you both had a crush on each other and didn't notice," Yang snickered. Oscar turned red.

"How did you know?!" His jaw dropped.

"Uh, it was pretty obvious," Weiss answered.

"And nobody said anything?!"

"Why would I? There were bigger fish to fry at the time," Yang shrugged. Oscar buried his face in his hands.

"Ruby? Not weird?"

"Not weird," she replied. She lifted her head. They both shook on it. By now Yang and Weiss were laughing their heads off. "We're making them pay for dinner."

"Agreed."

"Worth it," Yang laughed.

"Hey Ruby? Any embarrassing stories about Yang?" Oscar asked. An evil grin etched its way onto her face.

"Plenty," Ruby smirked.

She took a deep breath before telling the table of some funny accident Yang made when they were kids. Yang began screeching like her sister had moments before. She began poking Ruby in the sides to make her stop. The two sisters laughed as they tortured each other. It wasn't long before Weiss started lecturing them.

Oscar ignored it all. He stared out the window. He looked briefly at Ruby and her dazzling smiling face. The feelings did not go away.


	10. Chapter 10

The bell rang and the students rushed to grab their things and run out the door. Oscar sat at his desk watching the students leave. For the first time in months, no papers sat on his desk. It was almost liberating seeing the empty desk. A few students called out, "see you next year, Mr. Pine!" as they left the room. He responded accordingly.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Pine." Jett approached the desk.

"Of course, Jett. I hope this good streak keeps up next year. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me." Jett let out a quiet 'thank you' before shuffling out.

Oscar stretched, grateful for the end of the school year. While the students ended the year, the teachers still had a few more days of work. The entire room had to be cleaned out over the next few days. It was always a lengthy process, but always worth it.

When the hallways began quieting, he began the process of tearing down his room. He started with the grimm posters hanging around the room. He stood on a chair, working to peel the tape off the wall.

"Hey Oscar!" He let out a little shriek at the unexpected yell. He felt himself losing balance on his chair and falling.

He didn't hit the floor. When he looked up, he found himself staring into silver eyes. Ruby had caught him and was supporting him under the armpits. There was an amused smile on her face as she tried not to giggle.

"Still startle easily?" she smiled.

"I expected a pick-up line like 'I see you're falling for me.'"

"You win, that was better." Ruby gave him a little shove to his feet.

"What are you doing here? You should be in bed! You fainted yesterday." Ruby rolled her eyes a little.

"I was feeling better this morning so I came with Dad."

"Why haven't I seen you?"

"Probably because I've been avoiding you. I knew you'd be mad if I came and send me home, but I got bored and came here anyways."

"Well that's why I've seen so many rose petals today. I thought some students were bringing in roses or something." He began crumpling up the now torn poster. He chucked it in the trash across the room. Ruby cheered when he got it in. "I won't send you home if you don't want to go. I know you well enough to know that you'd mysteriously find your way back."

"You know me pretty well." Ruby went across the room and sat in his chair. Oscar began working on the posters again. "Are you excited?!"

"About what?"

"Ren and Nora's wedding, dummy!" she cheered. "We're heading to Vale tomorrow, remember?"

"Wait, tomorrow?!"

"Don't tell me you forgot."

"Sorry, Rubes, I kinda did. I have a staff meeting tomorrow morning."

"Our friends are getting married next week! I can't believe you forgot!"

"I just didn't realize we were leaving on the same day as the meeting. Either way, you should go on ahead. I'll take a later airship and meet you at the hotel."

"Boo!" Ruby pouted.

"I'll make it up to you, ok?" Oscar laughed. "Dinner's on me."

"Fine, but I get to pick the place. There's a restaurant I've been wanting to go to in Vale."

"Deal. I shall see you there, milady."

"I'm not too happy about how much you two are acting like a couple," a new voice joined the conversation. Tai stood at the door with his arms crossed. "Hey Oscar, can you help me with the projector in my room? It's not turning off for some reason."

"Yeah, give me a minute." He started putting aside the posters he had taken down.

"You could've asked me," Ruby said.

"Well you disappeared, and now I see why."

"Sorry, Dad," she smiled awkwardly. Tai chuckled.

"Excited for your trip to Vale?"

"Of course!" Ruby jumped up. "Ren and Nora are getting _married_! And we're both part of the wedding party! I'm so happy for them!"

"Nora's pretty excited," Oscar laughed. "For the past week she's been calling me to talk about the wedding."

"And we're all going to be together again!" Ruby cheered. "I can't wait to see everybody!"

"Yeah, I know. It's all you've been talking about lately," Tai chuckled. "So… projector?"

"Oh, right." Oscar rushed to the door where Tai was. "Ruby you can hang out here if you want. It'll only be a few minutes."

"Roger that!" Ruby saluted before making herself comfortable in his swivel chair.

"I see you're pretty excited for this wedding," Tai said as they walked down the hall.

"Yeah. That reminds me, you're still taking notes for me for tomorrow's meeting, right?"

"'Course, buddy. It's just wrapping things up and asking what we need to clean up the rooms. You've been there."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Also make sure that my girls don't do anything stupid while they're in Vale. You know how they can be."

"Well I'll do my best," Oscar laughed. "But there's little I can do to stop an overly-determined Yang."

"Also make sure Qrow doesn't do anything stupid. I _do not_ want to have to go all the way to Vale for getting too drunk."

"I'll look out for him, don't worry."

"Thanks. I'm counting on you, bud."

###

Ruby groaned as she watched tv upside down. There wasn't anything interesting on so her idea of making it interesting was sitting upside down. The program just kept talking on and on about some kind of reality tv show drama. Ruby had no idea what was going on.

There was a knock at the door and she turned herself around. She checked her scroll to see if Nora said she would be visiting. After seeing nothing, she thought to stay put until they went away. The knock happened again. Ruby groaned and opened it.

"Oscar!" Ruby hugged him when she saw him in the doorway.

"Hey. The meeting finished up early so I was able to catch an earlier train."

"I'm so glad to see you!" Her voice was muffled by his shirt. "Come on in! I was reaaallly bored!"

Ruby practically dragged him inside. She shut the door and took off for the bed. She jumped on it with no troubles or worries.

"What do you want to do?" She bounced a little on the bed. "We can watch tv, play videogames, play cards, truth or dare, chicken, oh! Maybe truth or dare mixed with cards! Loser has to do a dare!"

"So basically just cards with punishments?"

"Well if you put it that way it sounds less fun." Ruby bounced once more before landing on the bed in a sitting position. "I've been by myself all day! I'm really bored!"

"Really? What do you do at home then?" Oscar laughed. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Mostly play videogames until I'm bored. Then I go to your house and play videogames until you get home. Sometimes if I'm really bored, I switch your plants around."

"Well that explains a lot," he rolled his eyes. "We could go to the movies."

"But we see movies every week together! That's no fun!" Ruby flopped onto her back. Suddenly she sat back up. "I have an idea!"

After knowing Ruby for so long, Oscar felt that he should know how unpredictable her ideas were. While this was one of the things he liked most about her, it also made things very difficult for him. This included following Ruby through fenced off areas.

"Ruby! Come back! We're huntsmen! We're supposed to be following the law!" Oscar hissed just loud enough so that Ruby could hear from the other side of the fence.

"Oh? If I recall, we're far beyond that point of civility. Besides, it's fine! I came here plenty of times when I still lived in Vale! Never got in trouble! Now hurry up!"

Oscar groaned. He took a deep breath and climbed the fence after her. He muttered under his breath how illegal it was the entire time. Ruby smiled when he jumped safely to the other side.

"Come on!" She grabbed his hand and took him through the lot.

They walked past abandoned and ruined buildings. The marks of the Fall of Beacon still prominent as ever in this marked off area. Oscar saw robot soldiers littered in the streets, never cleaned up once the battle was over.

Ruby lead him to the center of a destroyed plaza. The rubble looked to be mostly cleaned up. In the center of the plaza was a mound. Two identical swords stuck out of the dirt. Oscar couldn't stop the tears from his eyes. He recognized them, but not from his own memories. From Ozpin's.

"Ruby? Where are we?" Oscar asked. Ruby herself wiped away some tears.

"I helped out in the rebuilding of Vale," she explained. "My job was mostly taking out any grimm that could harm the workers, but I also helped out in cleaning up some of the ruins. While I was working, I found some of Penny's swords and parts. They must have fallen off the arena sometime after the attack. So I buried them here and marked it with her swords. It's her grave so to speak."

"I'm… sorry…"

"It's ok…" Oscar saw her sad face and grabbed her hand. Ruby looked up at him then smiled. "You know, I think you two would have gotten along."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Penny was super kind, but lacked some social grace. Kind of like you!"

"Me?!" Oscar laughed. "I know that I used to be really socially awkward, but you're the one that tried fighting a nevermore to get Weiss to like you."

"Hey!" Ruby blushed. She batted at him with her free hand. "That was a long time ago! Ugh! No fair using Professor Ozpin's memories against me!"

They laughed together for a few moments. Ruby continued trying to bat at Oscar who easily deflected her attempts. Their laughter subsided and a silence settled in. Oscar felt Ruby's grip on his hand tighten around his. He looked at her expression again. He was surprised to see a little smile on her face.

"Ruby?"

"You know, I miss Penny a lot. I miss Pyrrha too. But I'm glad for the little time I did get to spend with them. And they would be happy that I've grown so much. They would be happy that I've been able to continue making new friends, like you. I guess I just can't wait to see what they think of me now when…" she trailed off.

"Don't… please don't say that…" Oscar whispered. Ruby didn't reply. She turned away and started walking away.

"Let's go before we get in trouble." Oscar gripped at the air where her warm hand had been.

When Ruby was a length away, Oscar bent down to the height of the grave. He touched the cool metal of the black swords. He remembered the little red-haired girl that would trail behind Ironwood. He couldn't remember what Ozpin had thought of her, but it was closer to a stranger than a friend.

"Don't worry, I'll watch over her," he whispered to the grave.

"Hey Oscar! Are you coming?!" Ruby called to him from behind a nearby building.

"Yeah I'm coming!" he called back. Oscar stood up, looking down once more at the grave. "Rest well, Penny."

Then he turned and left. When he met Ruby at the fence, she didn't cry. She didn't even look sad. She only smiled at him.

"Were you talking to Penny?" she teased.

"So?" Ruby giggled at his response.

"I knew you two would get along!" she chirped as she began climbing the fence. She jumped safely down to the other side and waited for him to do the same. "You know, Penny and I used to talk about cute boys!"

Oscar sputtered and nearly fell off the fence. Ruby laughed at his reaction.

"Just kidding! But we probably would have talked about you a lot." Oscar jumped down, landing beside her.

"Oh? Good or bad?"

"Hmm~ I'm thinking good. C'mon! We have a dinner reservation to get to. I'll race you back to the hotel!"

"Ok! But no semblance!"

"Boo! You're boring!" Ruby laughed as she stuck out her tongue. Oscar laughed along with her. He could almost hear a third, excited laugh beside them.


	11. Chapter 11

Oscar watched as Ren paced back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair and fumbled with the stray strands. Oscar leaned in towards Jaune who was sitting next to him.

"I've never seen him so nervous," Oscar commented.

"Me neither," Jaune replied. "Normally he's the calm one."

Ren ignored the two groomsmen and continued to pace. With Ren this nervous, Oscar felt bad for the girls who were dealing with Nora at the moment. Oscar had gone to check up on Nora before he left for the venue, and she was a mess. Her panic meter was too off the charts to even notice he was even there.

"Ren, it'll be fine," Jaune tried calming his friend.

"But what if she's not there? What if she changes her mind?"

"This is Nora we're talking about. She's probably worried about the same thing. Besides, she'd never leave you. You've been together for so long." Jaune got up and put a comforting hand on the groom's shoulder. Ren took a deep breath.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit nervous…" he sighed.

"Hey kids," Qrow came in. "It's almost time to start. You should get out there, unless you're getting cold feet." Panic began spreading across Ren's face again. Jaune did not look happy that his encouraging words had been disregarded.

"Thanks Qrow. We'll be out in a moment," Jaune replied. Qrow nodded and left the room. Jaune put both of his hands on Ren's shoulders. He looked him straight in the eyes. He was the sports coach and Ren the nervous player before the big game. Oscar almost expected to hear some encouraging yet unrelated metaphors about sports.

"Look. You love Nora, right?"

"Right…"

"And you want to be with her?"

"Of course."

"Then get out there and get married!" Jaune cheered just loud enough for the two to hear.

Oscar's jaw nearly dropped. He had not expected Jaune to _actually_ use coach pep talk. Nevertheless, Ren's nerves seemed to have calmed (for the moment) and he looked determined to get to the altar. Ren straightened up and made his way to the door.

"That… was something," Oscar commented.

"Yeah well, the best man's gotta do whatever to keep the groom from running away. Especially if the bride will snap his legs if he doesn't," Jaune shrugged. Despite his words, his face said that he cared about his old teammates.

"Well then we should go out there too to make sure he doesn't run away. Ren is basically a ninja at this point," Oscar laughed.

Jaune patted him on the shoulder before leaving the room. Oscar trailed behind Jaune and stood beside him at the altar. The music began playing and Oscar heard Ren's breath hitch from nerves. The girls began walking down the aisle in light pink dresses. They held little bouquets of their color. First was Yang, then Blake, then Weiss, and Ruby the last to enter. She gave Oscar a smile then turned to Ren and gave him a thumb's up before taking her place among her team.

The music changed and the guests watched as Nora entered in a beautiful, poofy pink dress. Oscar took a moment to look at Ren's face. The normally emotionless Ren had a wide smile on his face mirrored by Nora. Qrow walked Nora down the aisle. At the end, she gave him a little hug and he left to take his seat among the guests.

Weiss had a handkerchief and continuously wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Wow, didn't think you were such a crybaby at weddings," Yang commented. The group watched as Ren helped Nora into the limo that would take them to the reception. The two grinned as the crowd cheered them on.

"Shut up! It was a beautiful wedding!" Weiss was nearly sobbing. "They look so happy."

"I'm really happy for them," Ruby added, wiping a few tears from her own eyes.

"Yeah… I'm happy for them too," Jaune said as he watched the car leave.

The guests began mingling and talking amongst themselves, some breaking away from the group to make their way to the reception. The guests were mostly friends from Beacon and huntsmen that Ren and Nora had befriended in more recent years.

"C'mon, let's make our way to the reception. Nora's gonna be upset if we're late," Jaune pulled the group together.

Blake decided to stay behind to go with Sun and Neptune. The others drew lots on which cars they would take. Oscar ended up with Yang while Ruby and Weiss were with Jaune. Oscar cursed his luck and prayed as Yang expertly sped through the streets of Vale. He knew Yang was a good driver on a motorcycle, but her skill with speed was not fun in a car.

"Hey! We got here before the others!" Yang cheered as she parked the car.

"Yeah…. Yay…" Oscar shakily got out of the car. Yang saw this and laughed.

"Was I going too fast? Sorry. You should have said something."

"I did…" he groaned, feeling dizzy from motion sickness.

"Whoops." Yang only shrugged.

Oscar had to hold onto the car a little longer to steady himself. They waited outside a few minutes until they saw Jaune's car pull into the parking lot. They ran over as the rest of the group came out of the car.

"Oscar, you look like you're on the verge of death," Ruby remarked with concern.

"Your sister is pushing the limits of driving laws…"

"Welcome to my life," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Did you know Yang lives with me at my apartment now? And I'm still walking to work because of her reckless driving.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad."

"I felt like you were going to run someone over last time you drove me!"

"I mean you're fine when we ride Bumblebee, so why is my car driving any different?"

"They sound like an old married couple," Ruby whispered to Oscar. The two exchanged looks before breaking into giggles. This earned some glares from Weiss before she turned and walked away, clearly done with the conversation. The pair only laughed louder.

They followed Weiss into the reception hall. Nora squealed when they entered through the doors leading to the dining room. She hugged all of them individually.

"Ren and I are finally married!" she squealed as she hugged them. "I was soooooo nervous! But everything is turning out amazing! I mean look at this venue! And it has such a such a pretty garden outside! I can't wait to get pictures out there!"

"I'm so happy for you two!" Jaune pulled both Ren and Nora into a large hug.

"Awww thanks Jaune!" Nora giggled.

"Thank you," Ren smiled.

"There's snacks and stuff going around. Help yourselves!" Nora ushered them in. "We're going to greet more guests and then get some pictures in later."

Music played from large speakers as the group found the tables with their name tags. They were all seated together at Nora and Ren's table as neither had any family. Soon guests started filling the hall. Qrow came to join them at the table, but left to take advantage of the open bar. Maria even came by briefly to greet the group before complaining about how it was about time Nora and Ren had gotten married.

The others got up from the table to walk around and talk to people. Even Ruby left to talk to Velvet and Coco. Oscar was left alone at the table. He watched his friends go around, talking and laughing like old times. He watched Ruby in particular. She grinned and her arms flailed as she described some story to Velvet. A large grin was plastered on her face. It was the first time in a while he had seen such a genuine smile from her.

The reception was very normal after that. Everybody returned to the table to eat dinner. They ate and laughed as they told stories of their newest adventures. Then Ren and Nora had their first dance. It was short as Nora insisted on having a second, more elaborate dance later in the evening and they wanted to save their energy.

Oscar watched as his friends left the table to dance as well. Yang was trying to teach Weiss how to do the more upbeat dances while on the other side of the dancefloor, Blake laughed at Sun's weird moves. Only Ruby and Oscar remained at the table. He wanted to talk to her, but she seemed focused on watching the dancers and singing along to songs she did know.

Then Ruby got up and left. She didn't say a word. Oscar watched as she went out to the veranda to the garden. He debated going after her. Oscar looked back towards his friends on the dancefloor. They were too busy to notice that Ruby had left. When he turned back around, Ruby was no longer on the veranda.

He finally got up and followed her to the garden. Oscar found her across the garden, leaning on the railing of the gazebo. Her back was to him as she gazed into the night.

"Hey," he called out to her. Ruby jumped a little. She turned around but smiled when she realized who it was.

"Hey. Care to join me?" she asked. Oscar nodded, coming up to stand next to her. They stood in silence. The only sounds between them were the cool summer air and the sound of music blasting from the reception inside.

"They really chose a beautiful place for the reception," Oscar remarked to break the silence.

"Yeah…" she answered absentmindedly.

"Any reason you're out here alone?"

"Just wanted to get away from the noise and lady stilts," she laughed. She looked over to where her heels sat abandoned on the bench. "So did you come out here just to keep an eye on me? Or were you lonely?"

"Something like that," he hummed. "Just saw a lovely lady out here by herself and thought she could use some company."

"Ah. You flatter me, Mr. Pine," she giggled.

"Well anything for you, milady." They exchanged looks before breaking into childish giggles.

The garbled sounds of the band began to fade as they ended the song. The lead singer announced something that neither of them couldn't quite hear. They watched as people began abandoning the dancefloor and either returning to their tables or standing around to watch the dancefloor.

"They must be doing Ren and Nora's second dance," Ruby commented. They stood together as they watched the figures move across the windows and the music begin playing. "We should get back to the others."

Ruby went to grab her shoes and walk away. Instead, Oscar grabbed her wrist. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he definitely did not want to lose this moment to a crowd of people.

"Let's dance."

"Uh… what?"

"Right now. Just you and me."

"Oscar, I don't have my shoes on. And I'm definitely not a dancey-prancey kind of girl…"

"Nobody will be watching! It's just one dance, not like a proposal or anything." Ruby looked back to the reception area. Her face said that she was weighing her options.

"Fine," she finally decided. "But don't laugh when I'm bad at it."

"Don't worry," Oscar laughed, "I'm not a dancey-prancey kind of guy either." Oscar began taking off his shoes and socks.

"What are you doing?"

"Going barefoot! You hate your heels so I won't wear shoes either. Besides, the ground looks really soft." Ruby began snickering which turned into laughter.

"You're such a dork!" she laughed.

"May I have this dance, milady?" he bowed, tossing his shoes to the side.

"Of course, Sir Oscar."

She took his hand and he lead her off the gazebo and into the grass. They began awkwardly swaying to the music. Oscar could see by Ruby's expression that she was smiling to be polite. The music began speeding up. He thought a moment before picking her up by the waist and spinning. Ruby let out a squeak of surprise. He set her down again. Then he picked up the pace. He held her a little closer and began stepping in beat with the music. Ruby tried frantically to keep up with his faster movements.

"What are you doing?!" she called in some alarm.

"Dancing! I think!" he replied back, not quite sure what he was doing himself.

He stepped again before spinning her. Ruby let out a little gasp. When she returned to his arms, she had a smug look on her face. She suddenly seemed determined not to be out danced by the younger huntsman.

They waltzed through the garden. Their toes gathering the evening dew. Whenever Oscar twirled her, she added a few extra twirls. At one point she even dipped back while still holding his hand. Oscar took that opportunity to pick her up and spin her around. She yelped in surprise before laughing along with him.

"I didn't know you could dance!" she laughed.

"Me neither." He was surprised that he hadn't yet stumbled on his own feet.

The pair spun around the garden. The music began slowing and faded. Oscar dipped Ruby one last time. Oscar found himself immediately captivated by the silver eyes that caught the starlight in them. Those beautiful eyes that brought light when it was dark. Those beautiful eyes that had seen so much yet still smiled.

Cheers from inside the reception hall broke his gaze from hers. He turned to look at where the guests inside were cheering. Then he felt a soft pair of hands on his cheeks. They gently pulled him back to the girl in his arms.

There was something soft on his lips. Oscar nearly dropped Ruby. Instead, he closed his eyes to enjoy it. He kissed her back with as much passion as she had. Ruby pulled away. In her eyes he saw everything. He pulled her upright.

"I'm sorry… it's just…" her voice was soft and quiet. Oscar's mind was spinning too much to process what was happening.

"Let's get married."

"What?"

"What?" It took him a moment to realize what he said. When he did, he pulled away to cover his burning face. Ruby keeled over and gripped her sides with laughers "I'm-I'm sorry…"

"Don't be!" she wheezed in between laughs. She wiped a tear from her eyes. "I'm flattered! Really! I've never been proposed to before."

"Please… this is too embarrassing…" he groaned. He wanted to sink into the ground, never to been seen again. "Please forget I said anything…"

"Well that's too bad. I probably would have said yes." Oscar fell to his knees, no longer able to keep himself standing. He made a strange screeching sound. Ruby laughed again. She kneeled to his height and put a hand on his shoulder. "But before all that, I think a date comes before marriage."

"Then… do… do you want to go on one?" Oscar nervously peeked his head out of his hands.

"I'd love to." She pecked his cheek before standing up and walking back to the reception. "Are you coming?"

"I think I'm going to stay out here and clear my head a bit," Oscar replied. Ruby shrugs. He watched as she walked back into the hall. Once she was gone, he fell backwards into the grass. He watched the stars with a wide smile and a fluttering heart.


	12. Chapter 12

One thing Oscar was grateful for was his open invitation to the Xiao-Long household and their air conditioning. Movie nights and hanging out had been moved to the Xiao-Long house as Oscar waited to get his air conditioning repaired.

The tv played some action movie Ruby had found the other day. It wasn't very good, but it was nice being curled up next to his new girlfriend. Ruby leaned her head against his shoulder as she complained about the movie, her hand absentmindedly stroked Zwei's fur.

"I mean come on! That's completely unrealistic! Just find something heavy to break the door down!" she groaned at the character's stupidity.

"If you're so fed up with it, just put on a different movie!" Tai called from the kitchen.

"But we already started this one! We can't start another one now!" Ruby called back to her father.

"She's right! We're halfway through!" Oscar added. There was a sigh from the kitchen.

"Can you at least spare me the complaining and pause it to set the table for dinner? I have guests coming soon, you know!" Tai called back after a moment of quiet.

She paused the movie and stood up. Zwei jumped off her lap. He watched her leave before jumping onto Oscar's lap. With nothing else to do, Oscar just played with Zwei a bit. A knock on the door made Zwei leap off Oscar's lap and go bounding towards the door. Oscar looked to the kitchen briefly, realizing that none of the occupants had left yet.

"I got it!" Oscar called. He met Zwei at the door and opened it. Standing before him was Flann and her husband, Rufus. "Flann! Mr. Rufus! It's good to see you!"

"Oscar! What a pleasant surprise! I haven't seen you since the school year ended!" Flann grinned. She pulled Oscar into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Just having a movie night with Ruby." He gestured to where the tv was paused on their movie. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Rufus."

"As to you, Oscar. When was the last time I saw you?" the older gentleman asked.

"The holiday party, I think." Rufus nodded his head at the response.

"Flann! Rufus! Glad you could make it!" Tai called from inside. Oscar decided to get out of the way to allow Tai through. He grabbed Zwei and made it back to his spot on the couch.

"Are Dad's guests here?" Ruby asked as she came from the kitchen to join them. She looked to where Tai was talking in the doorway.

"Yeah. It's our coworker, Flann, and her husband, Rufus. Want to say hi?" She thought a moment before shaking her head. Her social awkwardness hadn't completely gone away. Ruby sat back in her seat and turned the movie on again. Tai had already moved back to the kitchen with Flann and Rufus in tow.

"Is it weird having your coworkers over like this?" Ruby whispered to Oscar.

"Well just slightly awkward but can't be as awkward as the first time she came over."

"The first time?" Ruby lowered the movie's volume and stared at him with expectant eyes. Oscar chuckled a little.

"It was when I was still living here. Tai hadn't told me that Flann and others were coming for a brunch or something. So I came downstairs in my pajamas. I was halfway down the stairs when I saw Flann and Mr. Rufus were there. Flann called out to me, but I was so embarrassed that I had to run back upstairs to change."

"Really?" Ruby put a hand over her mouth to hide her snickers.

"Yeah." He rolled his eyes at her amusement. "Also the first time I met Marigold."

"In your pajamas?"

"No! I had already changed!"

"Hey kids! Dinner's going to be ready soon!" Tai called from the kitchen. "Go wash up, ok?!"

"Hey! We are not kids!" Ruby called back. She stuck her tongue out towards the kitchen.

"Ruby, we're watching an animated movie marketed towards children," Oscar reminded her. "We're pretty much kids."

"C'mon! We've fought giant monsters and bad guys! We saved Remnant! I have my silver-eye powers and you're… like kind of magic! If anything, we're superheroes!"

"Well if Miss Superhero wants me to save her a seat at the table let me know," he laughed as he kissed her on the cheek. He stood up and left before she could stick her tongue out at him.

Oscar entered the kitchen and grabbed a chair. Tai was talking about the mission Raven was currently on. She had renewed her license recently and was starting to take more missions. Ruby didn't chime in as she entered the kitchen. She quietly began helping Tai set the food on the table.

"So how was Vale, Oscar?" Flann asked.

"It was good. The wedding was pretty busy, but I'm glad things went smoothly," he replied.

"Were you able to find a new apartment? I heard it's pretty difficult to find a good apartment in Vale."

"Uh…" Oscar looked to where Ruby was. She was looking straight at him with a questioning look on her face. "Not yet…"

"That's a shame. I have some huntsmen friends in Vale. I can see if they can help you find someplace to live."

"Uh… Flann-?"

"What's this about finding a new apartment?" Ruby set a bowl of peas on the table. Oscar rubbed the back of his neck.

"You didn't know? Oscar is going to teach at Beacon!" Flann proudly announced.

"In a year!" he quickly added.

"You didn't tell me you took the job offer." She looked at him quizzically.

"Uh, yeah, I did. It's not set in stone yet or anything so…"

"That's great! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" She smiled. Despite her joy, Oscar found it hard to look at her.

"Er…" he looked between Ruby, Flann, and Tai. Tai stood behind Ruby with his arms crossed. He gestured to Oscar to take the conversation elsewhere. "Let's go upstairs so I can tell you the details."

Ruby looked confused, but followed him upstairs. They went to her bedroom where he closed the door behind him. Ruby sat on her bed, waiting for an explanation.

"So, you're going to Vale?" she asked him.

"Yeah. In a year."

"That's great! You're going to be teaching at our alma mater! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Because… Because it's not exactly a good thing?" Ruby's expression turned from excitement to concern.

"Oscar? What's wrong?"

"You remember Professor Reid, right?"

"The current headmaster, yes."

"Well I've been in contact with him. He wants me to go to Beacon to help with some things… well some things concerning Salem…"

"Salem?" Her voice was a whisper.

"We don't know if it's a splinter group or some survivors, but he wants me to come and take care of things. Maybe… Maybe even become the next headmaster."

"But you don't want that," Ruby concluded. Oscar didn't say anything, but his expression was enough for her to stand up and pull him into a hug. "Oscar, you're not Ozpin. You never have. You can choose what you want to do."

"But-"

"No buts! You should know by now that being headmaster or whatever isn't the only way to defeat Salem and her followers," she joked. Oscar wiped away a few tears.

"Yeah. Superheroes can beat her." Ruby grinned and laughed when he said that.

"That's my Oscar!" she giggled. "C'mon, let's go downstairs before dad worries."

"Wait." He grabbed her hand before she could leave. "What do you think of this?"

"What? You going to Beacon? Or Salem's followers?"

"Both. Truthfully." He stared intensely at her. Ruby thought a moment before taking a breath.

"I would be lying to say that I wasn't scared. I don't have much longer left."

"Don't say that."

"But it's true. We just started a relationship and soon you'll be leaving. Even if I'm alive in a year, I won't be able to join you in Vale. I'm scared that I won't be able to help, that I won't be with you."

"You've helped me more than you can imagine."

"But this is going to be hard for you. If I die, then… I don't want to hurt you."

"Ruby, no matter what, you could never hurt me. You once told me that you choose to keep moving forward. I've decided to do the same. It's going to be hard, but… I know you'll be right beside me to the end."

"Look at you, all grown up," she smiled.

"Well these things tend to happen, you know."

"I guess they do," Ruby laughed.

"We should get back downstairs before Flann gets some weird idea in her head."

"She's the one that's always asking about relationships, right?"

"Yeah…"

"At least we're dating now. It's not going to be as awkward if she asks."

"Well Flann somehow always finds a way."

"Is Mr. Rufus the same way?"

"He's more stoic and doesn't talk as much. At the holiday party-"

"Are you two done talking?!" Tai called up to them. "Dinner's ready down here!"

"Coming!" Ruby yelled back. "Guess that's our cue?"

"I guess it is. Shall we, milady?" He held an arm out for her.

"Of course, Sir Oscar," she giggled before taking his arm.

The couple made their way downstairs. Of course, Flann asked them a torrent of questions as soon as she saw them together. Apparently she had been placing bets with another teacher about when Oscar would get a girlfriend. He laughed as he looked over at Ruby's embarrassment from some of Flann's questioning. He reached over and grabbed her hand as her eyes begged him to help her out of the situation. Oscar wished he would remember every minute of this. Aside from the immense embarrassment and Tai constantly trying to change the subject, he wanted to enjoy every second he could with Ruby.


	13. Chapter 13

It's in those mundane tasks that you remember the moment clearest. You remember how oblivious you felt just a few moments before and how it only took a few seconds to change. For Oscar, it was as he was watering his plants. Tai called and next thing he knew he was sitting in a hospital waiting room.

"She's awake now," Tai announced as he came back from talking to the doctors, "but they're not sure what to do about her condition. They want to keep her here for a few days for tests and then they'll decide from there."

"Can we see her?" Oscar asked timidly. Tai ran a hand through his hair before shaking his head.

"They're not letting visitors in at the moment. But they said we could see her tomorrow," he quickly added upon seeing Oscar's saddened look. Oscar didn't really know what to say. Tai sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright, ok bud? Ruby's a fighter, she's not leaving us yet."

Oscar nodded. "Ok," his voice barely a whisper.

"I'll give you a ride home. Or do you want to come to my house? Yang and Weiss dropped everything and took the first flight to Patch. They'll be here in a few hours. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you again." Oscar looked at his hands. He didn't want to be around people, but he also didn't want to be alone.

"Ok."

He chose the path of less resistance. He followed Tai out of the waiting room like a lost puppy. The older gentleman didn't really know what to say except for little words of encouragement here and there. Oscar wasn't really listening. Nothing was really settling in.

When Tai arrived at the house, Oscar sat on the couch and said nothing. Tai kept offering him things, but Oscar was despondent. He stared at the photographs on the mantle. Ruby's smiling face stood among them surrounded by pictures of friends.

After what felt like an eternity of doing nothing, Oscar turned on the tv. He wasn't really watching though. Tai came to join him after a while.

"Raven said she's going to finish up her missions as soon as she can and come right over," Tai announced. Oscar just nodded. Tai sighed again. Then he put a hand on Oscar's head and ruffled his hair. Oscar looked at him in surprise. "Look, I know that I'm your girlfriend's father and all and that technically I should be threatening you or something."

"You have been."

"Right. But the point is, I know what it's like to lose someone you love. Ruby's going to be ok. What we can do for her right now is be strong."

"Thank you." Oscar took a deep breath. "Hey, I'm going to head home for a bit. I want to finish some errands and grab an overnight bag."

"Go ahead bud. I'll be here. Want me to drive you?"

"I'm good. I could use a walk right now." Oscar got up and left the house.

He walked through the quiet streets of Patch. The summer sun blazed above him. It choked him with its heat. The songs of birds fell upon an unimpressed audience. There was no cheers when they stopped singing.

Oscar reached his house. A large truck was outside of it with people moving in and out of the front door. A huntsman leaned against the truck, not helping the movers with the work. A woman came out of the house as Oscar reached the door. She looked a little surprised when she saw him.

"Um, hi. I'm guessing you're my new neighbor?" Oscar asked. He put on the friendliest smile he could muster at the moment. The woman's face light up.

"Oh! Yes! I'm sorry about the mess and noise right now," she apologized.

"It's alright. I won't be staying long anyways. I'm staying at a friend's house tonight."

"Ok! I'm Lucia Lux!" Lucia stuck her hand out for him to shake. "That's Dior, the huntsman we hired to escort us here from Vale."

"Nice to meet you Lucia. So you came from Vale?"

"Mistral actually. We cut through Vale on our way from Mistral."

"I'm from Mistral too."

"Really?! Khloe! Come meet our neighbor! He's from Mistral!"

"Actually, I should get going." Oscar tried dismissing himself.

"Oh, sorry for keeping you, uh…"

"Oscar. Oscar Pine. I'm a huntsman that works at Signal."

"That's so cool! We should have lunch or something sometime. Us Mistral folk gotta stick together!" Oscar smiled his first genuine smile of the day.

"Thank you." He bid her goodbye before entering his own section of the house.

He sighed when he closed the door. He grabbed the worn backpack he kept near the door in case of emergency missions. He went to his room and threw it on his bed. Oscar began stuffing it with some clothes from the closet. That's when he found a plant.

Oscar picked up the potted plant sitting neatly behind an old shirt. It was beginning to wilt from the lack of sunlight and water, but he was able to tell what it was.

"How did my Vacuo Violets get in here?" Oscar examined the pot. It was supposed to be by the door but had gone missing a week ago. He suddenly realized who the culprit was and began laughing. Ruby was still Ruby even if she wasn't here.

Oscar brought the plant back to the front door. He immediately grabbed his watering can in hopes of reviving the poor plant.

There was a sudden crash outside followed by some yelling. Oscar opened the door a bit to peer outside. Lucia looked very frustrated at Dior who wasn't helping. Another woman, the one he presumed to be Khloe, stood between them trying to diffuse the situation. Oscar sighed and closed the door. He looked back at his plant, lightly touching the wilting petals.

"If Ruby was here, she would have already gone out to help, wouldn't she?" he asked the plant. He wasn't expecting an answer from it, but he still received one. Oscar put his shoes on and went outside to help them.

###

"That plane could not have been any slower!" Yang complained. Oscar looked up from the tv. Zwei jumped off his lap to happily greet Yang.

"We were in state-of-the-art Atlas tech! That was one of the fastest planes in all of Atlas!" Weiss argued as she followed Yang in. Her voice changed to a high pitch when she saw Zwei. She immediately started cooing and scratching Zwei behind the ears.

"Hey guys!" Oscar called to them.

"Hey Oscar," Yang called back. She approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok? How are you holding up?"

"I… could be better," he admitted. "But I figured Ruby would be pretty mad if I got so torn up over a hospital visit."

"Yeah. She'll probably be upset that we dropped everything to visit. But we figured checking up on her was worth the scorn." Yang looked to Weiss who had picked up Zwei and was bringing him over.

"We called Blake too," Weiss added. "She's going to Mistral tonight and taking an airship first thing in the morning."

"Thanks for coming."

"Well Ruby is our friend and leader. And it's better we're all together than apart, right?" Weiss smiled encouragingly. Yang nodded and put her free hand on Weiss's shoulder.

"You two are getting really close," Oscar commented.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, sorry, I just wanted to know what it was like to tease someone about a relationship for once." He couldn't think of a better excuse.

"You're far too young to be teasing us, farm boy." Yang ruffled his hair. Oscar laughed as he tried pushing Yang's arm away. "Anyways, where's dad?"

"Tai went upstairs to take a nap. He's had a long day."

"I'm gonna wake him up to say that we're here. What do you want to do for dinner?"

"I made some pasta since I didn't know what time you'd get here."

"Thanks kid." Yang made one more attack on his hair before running upstairs.

"Yang! I'm an adult now!"

"You're still too short to be an adult!" Yang called from upstairs. Oscar pouted. He looked to Weiss for some support, but she was too busy playing with Zwei. Oscar sighed before sinking into the couch.

When Oscar was fourteen, he might have freaked out about having to sleep in the same room as one of the girls. He was used to rooming alone or with Jaune and Ren. After years of travel, he would say Blake was the safest to room with. After that was Weiss.

"Hey Oscar, if you want to use the shower go now," Weiss announced as she entered the bedroom. She wore a nightgown and a towel around her neck. "Yang takes _forever_. Trust me, you do not want to wait for her."

"Thanks Weiss. I'll be fine, I took one this morning." Oscar moved some things off of Ruby's bed. It was mainly comic books and some shirts haphazardly thrown to the side. Oscar stopped when he spotted something in the midst of the little mess.

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked. She looked over to him in concern from Yang's old bed. Oscar held up the red scarf for her to see.

"It's my scarf. I've been looking everywhere for it. Figures Ruby would have it," he chuckled. He set the scarf aside and continued clearing up the bed, neatly stacking the comic books. Weiss watched him work. She didn't say a word though her face said she wanted to.

"Oscar you're off," she finally stated as he finished up. Oscar looked up in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"You're smiling and acting all cheery. You're taking this almost too easily."

"Well you didn't see me this morning."

"Oscar, please. I'm trying to help. Are you alright?" Oscar sighed and sat down on the bed. He took the scarf in his hands and began playing with it.

"Do you ever wonder what Ozpin would do?"

"Ozpin?"

"Yeah…" Oscar leaned backwards into the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I know he made a lot of mistakes and there were times that we weren't on great terms, but… what would he have done? What would he do right now? I just can't help but think."

"That's a bit of a sore subject. I didn't think…"

"I know." He turned over, refusing to face her. "I'm just… I'm just scared… When we were traveling, I'd usually go to Ruby if I was feeling scared or worried, but now she's… not here…"

"I don't know what Ozpin would do," Weiss worded her answer carefully. "And to be frank, I don't care. He's gone. Now if you want some advice, mine is go to sleep. We're going to visit in the morning, and I know Ruby would be upset if her boyfriend wasn't there to see her."

"Wait! How did you know we're dating?!" Oscar sat up in alarm.

"Ruby is my best friend. Did you really think she wouldn't tell me about her new boyfriend? Honestly she spent weeks talking about how you proposed at Ren and Nora's wedding."

"Ruuuuubbbyyyy." Oscar groaned in embarrassment. He grabbed the pillow to muffle some of his cries. Weiss smiled in amusement.

"Well if it's any consolation, I'll let you in on a little secret Ruby doesn't know yet."

"Am I caught in gossip now? Is this now a sleepover?" Oscar lifted his head from the pillow. Weiss ignored him.

"Yang and I are pretty much a thing now."

"Sounds complicated. But I'm sure Ruby would be excited to hear it. You can tell her tomorrow, I think I'm going to sleep," he quickly said. Oscar nestled himself into the sheets as fast as he could.

"Well that was one way to get you to stop moping."

"I haven't been moping." Weiss rolled her eyes at him. She then got up to turn off the lights.

"And… if it's any consolation, regarding our conversation before it got off track, I don't care about Ozpin's opinion... because, it's your opinion I care about. You keep going even if you're scared, just like Ruby does. And whatever you decide on, we'll be there to support you."

"We?"

"Your friends," Weiss took a deep breath and turned off the lights. "Good night, Oscar."

"Good night Weiss… and thank you."


	14. Chapter 14

Ruby was ethereal. He knew that was just how she looked and how her spirit and personality was anything but. Oscar still just wanted time to stop.

Then Yang nearly toppled him as she pushed her way into the room.

"Ruby! Are you ok? Do you hurt? Ohhh I was so worried for my baby sister!" Yang pulled Ruby into a tight hug. Weiss pushed her way past Oscar followed by Taiyang who gave a small pat on the younger huntsman's back and finally Raven was the last one in. She glared at Oscar as she entered, making him realize that he should probably approach Ruby as well.

"Yang! I'm fiiiiiiinee!" Ruby tried pushing her sister away. "Dad just freaked out because I collapsed again!"

"Collapsing isn't a good sign, you know." Oscar approached the bed. Ruby grinned when she saw him. "At least at the hospital we know you're being taken care of."

"That makes it sound like you're trying to get rid of me," she pouted.

"Never," Oscar laughed. He leaned his forehead against hers. He wanted to kiss her so bad. All the worry and yet she was there smiling at him. A loud cough interrupted them.

"Hey kiddo, we brought some stuff to cheer you up." Tai used the care package bag to separate them.

"Thanks Dad! That's so thoughtful!" She pushed the bag aside.

"We've been so worried!" Weiss hugged Ruby.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to come all the way down from Atlas."

"Of course we did! You're our leader and friend! Team RWBY will always be there to support you!"

"Aww… thanks Weiss!"

"And Blake is coming too," Yang added. "She texted me early this morning saying that she's on her way here."

"She doesn't have to come! I'm ok! Really!" Ruby laughed a bit nervously.

"They're here because you mean a lot to them." Oscar smiled and held her hand. Ruby smiled back at him. An awkward silence hung in the room as the couple stared at each other.

"We should get to the train station!" Weiss finally broke the silence. "Nora texted me earlier saying that she, Ren, and Jaune are coming too so we should greet them at there."

"But-!" Yang tried protesting, but was being pushed out by Weiss.

"Come on Yang; Nora, Ren, and Jaune don't know where the hospital is! We should at least be there to give them a ride!" A lightbulb went off on Yang's face.

"Y-Yeah! I actually forgot something at the house. Dad, could you drop me off on the way to the station?"

"Wait! Me?! Why-?"

"Thanks Dad!" Yang began pushing him out the door. He tried protesting, but the two girls' strength clearly overpowered him. Raven sighed and began following them out.

"Don't get any ideas, ok?" Raven made the 'I'm watching you sign' to Oscar. "And Ruby, feel better."

"Thanks Raven!" Ruby called as she left.

"I can't believe that's the same woman that tried to kill us all those years ago," Oscar commented once they were gone.

"Right? I guess moving back in with Dad was a good thing." Ruby grabbed the care package. "Speaking of, what _did_ Dad bring?"

"Comic books and lots of cookies," Oscar answered.

"I figured. Oh! And my scroll! Finally! I can play some video games!" she cheered. He laughed.

"I'm guess you've been bored?"

"Very. Yesterday there was soooo much waiting then tests then more waiting and more tests! It was sooooo boring! But I mean… I guess I got some free socks at least?" She wiggled her feet that donned the gray hospital socks that did not match the blue scrubs she wore.

"Do they really let you keep those?"

"I have no idea."

"Well once you're out of here I'll buy you a pair that look just like it."

"Woo…" she unenthusiastically cheered before breaking into laughter. "I missed you."

"It's only been a few days, but yes, I did too." Oscar sat down on the side of the bed. "So how long are you here?"

"Uh… a week I think?" Ruby begins prying open the cookie container. "They were kind of vague."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Nope. They probably have no idea what's going on."

"Well none of them are an all-powerful wizard!" He was interrupted when a cookie was practically shoved in his mouth.

"Well if Mr. All-powerful wizard wants another cookie, let me know," she laughed as she dug into another one from the container. Oscar hurriedly finished off the cookie in his mouth. He cleared his throat, intending to talk to her as much as possible.

"So I met my new neighbors yesterday. They were pretty nice and apparently, they just got married. We're going to try and get lunch soon."

"Oh cool! If I'm out, do you think I could come?"

"You practically live at my house, what do you think?"

"That reminds me, I was really bored yesterday but I got to do a lot of thinking."

"Good? Bad?"

"Well mostly thinking that I should cut my hair soon. It's all over the place recently and super annoying." Oscar chuckled at this. "But your proposal at Ren and Nora's wedding."

"Please don't bring that up…" he groaned. "You even told Weiss about it! Why?!"

"Because it was super cute!"

"It was super embarrassing!" Ruby giggled a little. Then her face turned serious.

"What if we actually got married? You know, for real." Oscar blinked a few times.

"Ruby, we've only been dating a few weeks."

"I know! But we've known each other for years!"

"I… I love you, I really do, but don't you think you're rushing it a bit?"

"I know! I know! It's just! Argh!" She combed her fingers through her hair, gripping the sides of her head as if a great headache had overcome her. She let out sigh of frustration and let her hands fall back to her side. Oscar took that opportunity to take the closest one in his hand.

"Hey, if you want, we can perform a mock marriage ceremony here in the hospital. Maybe next week? I can get us some rings and bring some cake. It'll be a fun little thing to celebrate your release. Then when you're out of here, we can pretend we're on a honeymoon and try to get free food at restaurants." Ruby began laughing.

"I don't think all restaurants work that way. But it might be more effective if I pretend I'm pregnant. I'll get one of those fake big bellies and walk around in maternity clothes." It was Oscar's turn to laugh.

"I can't believe we're already trying to figure out how to get freebies."

"Hey, whatever works. Also, I've noted that you did not discourage the fake pregnancy idea."

"Well… Let's put that on the backburner at least."

"Yes!" Ruby cheered. "Now let's plan a wedding!"

Ruby began listing impossibly ridiculous demands. Oscar laughed along with her as they pretended to argue over how many feathers the swans needed to have.

###

"We're here~!" Nora cheered as she burst into the room. This earned a chorus of shushes from the ones already in the room. Ren followed her in, shaking his head. Oscar was quick to follow and pushed his way to Ruby's bedside as soon as he could.

"I was wondering when you guys would get here," Yang said.

"Sorry we're late," Ren apologized.

"We… didn't exactly think about who would drive," Jaune added when he joined the room. "And none of us have a car… soo…."

"Then how did you get here?" Tai asked.

"Er…. Marigold was available to drive us," Oscar explained.

"Doesn't she only have a 4-person car?"

"Yup. We just barely fit in the car."

"But now we're all together!" Ruby cheered. "We haven't all seen each other since Ren and Nora's wedding!"

"When Oscar proposed to you!" Nora added.

"How many people did you tell?!" Oscar's jaw dropped. Ruby looked away and didn't respond, but it was clear by everyone else's reactions that they already knew about it.

"So anyways!" Ruby chirped, clearly avoiding the subject. "We have a fake wedding to plan!"

"Uh… what?" Blake was the first to ask.

"Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?!" Tai asked.

"A fake wedding ceremony. We thought it'd be a fun little thing to do," Oscar shrugged.

"We have lots of planning! It's mostly just going to be a joke thing so Ren is the 'officiating' the wedding."

"Me?" Ren asked, surprised.

"You're the most qualified to do it."

"I'll do my best."

"Yang is in charge of flowers and cake! She knows where the flower shops and bakeries are. Weiss you get to choose the flowers."

"Wait, are you seriously going through with this?" Weiss asked.

"Everybody else is in charge of decorations!" Ruby ignored her. "Make them pretty!"

"Ruby, this is ridiculous," Weiss rolled her eyes.

"And Nora is Maid of Honor!"

"Yay!" Nora cheered.

"Wait why Nora?! I'm your best friend!"

"I was Nora's Maid of Honor so I'm just returning the favor."

"So can you explain why you're doing this again?" Blake asked.

"No time to explain! Just go!" Ruby demanded. There was some scrambling as everybody tried to figure out what they were doing and leave the room. Oscar laughed once they were alone.

"This was a great idea."

"Yeah. As much as I love all of them, this was a great way to let us have some time alone. Well, at least for a little bit."

"So you really like the idea of a fake wedding?"

"Well… it's silly, but I think it'll be fun!" Ruby chirped with a smile.

"Me too."

###

It was very obvious from the stares of the other patients and visitors that people thought they were crazy. The nurses and doctors knew what they were doing. A group of nurses giggled amongst themselves as Oscar and Jaune passed them. Oscar shuffled awkwardly. He was wearing one of his work suits while Jaune was in a regular hoodie and black pants to match.

As they began planning, it became obvious that nobody had packed super fancy clothes and not everybody was keen on buying new clothes. Those that wanted to, could wear regular clothing. Except, according to Ruby, only Oscar was required to wear something fancy. He had been able to negotiate it down to at least dressy casual.

"Hey, where are the others?" Jaune poked his head into the room. Oscar had been forbidden from "seeing the bride" so he stood awkwardly next to Jaune.

"They're still getting ready!" Ruby called back.

"Hey Rubes!" Oscar called from the hallway. He poked his head in a little bit, only to have a pillow in his face.

"You're not supposed to look!" He heard Yang's laughter from inside. Oscar groaned and leaned against the wall.

"I'd hate to see what it's like if you guys actually get married," Jaune laughed.

"We're here!" Nora called. She waved as she walked up with Ren. Nora had her hair curled and she wore a light pink dress with heels. Ren wore a simple black suit and tie.

"I didn't think you were dressing up," Oscar commented. Ren and Nora smiles.

"Well we thought it'd be fun if we did!" Nora chirped.

"We all did!" Weiss called as she approached in a sparkling white dress. Blake, Sun, Tai, and Raven trailed behind her. Blake and Raven wore dresses in their colors while Sun and Tai also wore suits. Oscar turned around to see Jaune wearing an oxford shirt and pulling on a suit jacket.

"Hey guys! We're just about ready in here!" Yang came out. She to wore a yellow dress with sunflowers printed on the hem.

"Guys…" Oscar felt himself tearing up. "You… You didn't have to. This is just a goofy little thing Ruby and I thought of."

"We had to," Blake smiled.

"You two mean a lot to us. And we all thought that the best thing right now would be to put our all into this, even if it's just a fake wedding," Jaune smiled.

"And it's kind of about time you two got together!" Nora groaned.

"By the way, I'm going to be seriously upset if I'm not Maid of Honor at your _actual_ wedding." Weiss crossed her arms. Oscar began blushing.

"We've only been dating for a few weeks!"

"And yet that's your _only_ excuse for not actually getting married today."

"Hey, cut the groom some slack," Yang laughed, putting an arm around Weiss. "Oscar, you ready?"

"I… I guess I am," he smiled.

"Ok! Close your eyes! We're going to get Ruby ready!" Yang announced. Ruby wasn't allowed to freely walk around at the moment. They had negotiated that she would be pushed in on a wheel chair and do the ceremony with her on the bed.

Oscar was lead in with a blindfold over his eyes. He heard lots of shuffling.

"Hey Oscar!" Ruby laughed.

"I don't know why you insisted on this," he replied. It only made her laugh more. He heard the sound of wheels on the tile and her voice getting more distant.

"I'll see you soon!" Beside him, Jaune laughed.

"She was making faces at you, by the way."

"I kinda figured she was." Jaune untied the blindfold. Oscar gasped at the decorated room.

Streamers of white were draped from the walls with little bunches of roses and sprigs of pine sticking from them. There was a large vase by Ruby's bed filled with a bursting display of flowers. A white carpet with rose petals sewn into it lead the way from the doorway to the bed. A few nurses sat in folding chairs while others peaked in to see the setup.

Jaune patted Oscar's shoulder before leaving the room to join the others outside. Oscar leaned in to Ren.

"Did… Did we ask a photographer to be here?" he looked at the photographer already taking pictures.

"No, but I think one of the nurses did."

"Huh… They know it's not a real wedding, right?"

"Well… it might as well be," Ren smiled. He pressed a button on his scroll that began playing music on the mini speakers behind him.

First came Raven, marching down the aisle. She took the free seat in the front without so much of a glance. Next came Weiss and Yang with their arms linked together. In their free hand, each of them held a single rose. They walked down the aisle in perfect stride, ending up beside the bed.

Blake and Sun followed them in a similar fashion. Blake, who had been a part of Nora's wedding party, easily fell into the usual rhythm. Sun, on the other hand, struggled to keep up with her. Blake held her rose closer to her face to cover her smile. Blake and Sun unlinked their arms to go their separate ways, Blake to her team and Sun to Oscar's side.

Next came Jaune and Nora. Their face in wide grins as they walked. Nora even winked at Ren at one point, which made Oscar almost break into a laugh. They separated at the end, Jaune coming to Oscar's side and Nora going to the bed.

"She looks amazing!" Nora whispered to Oscar. Ren changed the music.

And there she was. Oscar's breath hitched. Ruby's hair had been done into a beautiful crown of braids around her head. Her makeup sparkled at just the tiniest bit of movement. Her scrubs, once a dark blue, had been changed to white for the occasion. A veil sat upon her head and a small bouquet in her lap. A large smile on her face as Tai pushed her down the makeshift aisle.

"Hi," Ruby smiled once she was in front of him.

"Hi." There weren't any other words on his mind. He snapped out of it as Tai coughed to gain his attention. Oscar remembered that the two of them were supposed to lift Ruby onto the bed together. "Oh right!"

Once Ruby was in position, Ren started the "ceremony."

"Friends. Family. We are gathered here together for the mock wedding of Ruby and Oscar, as they both insisted on having it. Er… I am sorry, it seems Nora changed the note cards on me. I suspected she would do something of the like and brought spares." Everybody laughed as he pulled out an extra stack of cards. Ren continued his original speech, much to Nora's dismay of her foiled plans.

Oscar couldn't help but sneak little glances at Ruby as Ren talked. A few times they caught each other's eye and would break into quiet giggles. No matter how many times Ren had to stop to pull their attention back, Oscar couldn't help but look at her.

He wondered why he hadn't agreed to do an actual wedding ceremony. Ruby had a large smile on her face. A large, genuine smile. Her eyes sparkled in a way he hadn't seen in a long time. She wasn't ethereal. She was eternally beautiful.

"Oscar!" Ren's sharp voice snapped him out of thought.

"Huh?"

"Your vows."

"Oh, right. Ruby, I know we're doing this for fun, but I want you to know that I… I love you. I always have. You're amazing… just amazing. I'm sorry, I can never find the words to describe exactly what I want to say. I want to marry you. For real. Not asking you on a date or a mock ceremony like this, but a real wedding. When things settle down a bit. What do you say?"

"I do," she grinned.

"And Ruby?" Ren asked.

"I… I forgot what I was going to say. I… I just love you," tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Oscar, I love you so much!"

"I do too," he leaned his forehead against hers.

"You may now kiss the bride," Ren announced.

Oscar leaned in, but Ruby didn't.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. The bouquet clattered to the floor as she fell back.

Ruby was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

Oscar couldn't think. His mind was ablur with too many thoughts and feelings. Everything was spinning.

"Ruby?" he called her name. "Ruby stop messing around this isn't funny."

He could just barely hear the others shuffling around behind him. He didn't know if they were saying anything or just quietly taking everything in.

"Ruby, please, just open your eyes. If you can hear me, that's all I ask. Please… open your eyes…." he begged. She didn't budge. "Ruby! Ruby please! Anything! Just anything!"

A flood of nurses descended upon the room. He felt hands trying to pry him away, but he resisted. He pushed them away and clung to her side. That's all he could do. He just had to stay by her side. She'd wake up soon and laugh that it's all one big joke. He'd scold her and they'd laugh about it. Because this wasn't real. They were in on the joke. He just had to be there.

"Oscar!" a sharp voice cut through his panic. He stiffly turned to see what was happening. Yang stood there. The tears that dripped down her chin pulled him back to the harsh reality. "Stop… please…? She's… gone…."

Her voice wasn't harsh. It didn't scold him. It didn't demand. It was soft and pleading. Oscar shakily let go of the bed. The nurses swooped in and pushed Ruby away. They covered her face with the blanket, and she was gone from the room.

Oscar didn't know what happened next. He remembered seeing everybody crying. Ren and Nora had even left to compose themselves. Then he was in a waiting room. He wasn't quite sure where he was. People were talking. People were moving.

There was nothing.

"Oscar? Are you okay?" Warm hands held his own. He wasn't quite sure who it was. He blinked a few times until it finally registered that it was Weiss. She was crouched in front of him, her face filled with worry and tears.

"I…. I don't know." He wondered if he had actually responded.

"Alright. We're going to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Can you join us?" she asked.

Oscar didn't say anything, but Weiss helped him up anyways. She practically dragged him like a doll, but he let her. Yang and Jaune came at some point to help her, but he wasn't sure when. Everything was moving around him. They placed food in front of him, but he just stared at it.

The noise of the cafeteria boomed in his ears. They caused his head to spin even more. His friends barely said anything. If they did, all he could hear was the thundering noise. Finally Oscar had had enough. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up. The action did nothing for the noise, but turned that tables' attention towards him.

"I'm going for a walk," he announced.

"Okay," Blake replied. "But let one of us go with you. It's not good to be alone."

"I just…. I just need some fresh air. I'll be fine," he left without letting anyone follow. He just wandered through the hospital for a bit before finding his way outside.

He ran. He just ran in a direction. No place in particular. Just as long as there was ground there. A river blocked his path before he knew it. He looked around and realized that he was probably lost. But nobody was around.

He bent low to the river and screamed. His throat yelled at him to stop, which he just added onto his own agony. When he opened his eyes, he saw his reflection in the water. It made him sick. In a fit of rage he punched at the water to get rid of the disgusting image.

Then Oscar curled up. He let the sobs overcome him. His scroll started ringing. He took it out of his pocket to look at it. He didn't even see who the caller was. He just hung up. That was a mistake.

The picture on his screen was him and Ruby. A picture Ruby had insisted on taking on their first date. A picture that she stole his scroll to make it his wallpaper. A picture he didn't want to change. A picture that made his head spin again.

Without a second thought, he threw it in the river. The _plop_ of the scroll made him realize what a terrible idea that was.

"No… No!" He leapt in.

The river was shallow as Oscar waded through it. It only went up to his waste, but his entire body quickly became soaked. He dug hopelessly at the water, hoping to find the scroll. All he found was more water and rocks. He tried searching a littler further down the river, in hopes that it got caught on a rock somewhere along the way. Finally, he gave up and trudged slowly back to the river bank.

He shivered and curled up on his side. Oscar didn't want to feel anymore. But he felt drained. He let the darkness of sleep wash over him.

"Oscar!" a loud voice woke him up. Oscar's limbs complained as he sat up to look around. He wasn't by that riverbank anymore. A meadow spread out in front of him.

"Oscar," the voice called him again.

This time it was behind him. Oscar had to twist his torso to get a good look at what was calling him. He found himself staring at two pairs of feet, one donned in dress shoes and black pants and the other a glowing yellow. His eyes widened and he scrambled to stand up and face the two in front of him.

"You're…. but how?! Why?!" He tried for words but came up empty. "Ozpin….?"

The familiar headmaster smiled at Oscar. He then looked up at the second, taller figure.

"And how are you here?" Oscar asked the other. "I… I haven't gathered all the relics."

"Well," the Light God spoke, "let us consider this an exception."

"Why? Why now? Of all times you could have come back!" Oscar snapped. "Do you realize everything we've been through?! All the people I've hurt! All those lives we ruined?! I never asked for any of this! I- I-"

"Miss Rose's journey is not over yet," Ozpin announced. The rage immediately left Oscar's body.

"She's… She's not gone?"

"I can revive her as I did to you all those years ago. I will allow her to reincarnate, just as you can. From now on, you can have a companion during your journey."

"I- I don't know what to say!"

Oscar felt tears of joy slipping from his eyes. He looked between Ozpin and the Light God. Neither seemed to be lying. He grinned and opened his mouth to agree.

But he stopped. He recognized this field now. Behind them stood the statue of the first reincarnation, the white-haired man.

"Oscar?" Ozpin looked at him in concern. Oscar shook his head.

"Thank you, but no." The two looked taken aback by his decision.

"Why do you deny this opportunity?" the Light God asked.

"Because this is what caused this huge mess in the first place! Salem wanted Ozma back so badly that she challenged the Gods. She… She never stopped to consider what Ozma would have wanted. I don't want to do that to Ruby."

"I'm sure she would understand your decision to revive her," Ozpin answered.

"Then you don't remember Ruby the way I do," Oscar laughed. "I can already hear her getting mad at me for it. She'd say 'My life was over! Now I have to live another one?! And I can't even keep my dear Crescent Rose!'"

"Well… you're not wrong," Ozpin chuckled.

"I love Ruby, and I would do anything to bring her back, but I know that she would tell me to keep moving forward. Even if it hurt."

"Is that your final answer?" the Light God asked.

"Yes. It is."

"A very wise decision. I see that you have grown much in your journey," he nodded approvingly. "I leave Remnant in your care and shall take my leave."

"Wait."

The Light God paused. He looked quizzically at Oscar.

"This… This isn't real, is it?"

The Light God disappeared into golden leaves that floated away in the wind. Ozpin smiled and sat down on the base of the statue, patting the spot next to him. Oscar sat down beside him, but it felt a little weird.

Ozpin didn't say anything for a while. He just stared out into the meadow. Oscar was used to seeing Ozpin from memories and sometimes in reflections, but he never got to stand next to him like a regular person.

"How did you know?" Ozpin finally asked.

"Whenever I was distressed, I always turned to Ruby. But she's gone now. Then the two I wanted to see the most suddenly appear to fix things. Isn't that a little too convenient?"

"I guess it is," Ozpin chuckled.

Oscar lifted his head to look out at the meadow. It was peaceful. The sun set before them as a quiet breeze swept through their hair. The grass whispered a lullaby that calmed him. He wondered if Ruby would have liked this place.

Without another word, he slipped off his shoes and socks. He walked out into the meadow and closed his eyes. He held his hand out for an imaginary figure. A rose scent embraced him, and a soft hand held his. He looked back at Ozpin, only to find the former headmaster missing from the statue. A soft glow was all that remained.

Oscar turned back to see Ruby's face as clear as day. She smiled at him with such warmth. The sun set behind him and her eyes reflected the moonlight.

"May I have this dance?" He asked. She smiled at him and nodded.

He held her in his arms and began swaying to the orchestra of the wind. Crickets sang them a soothing song that neither could understand. He spun her away from him but held her hand. The movement caused hundreds of fireflies to be free from their confines in the grass.

Ruby giggled at the little light they gave off. She spun back into his embrace. They twirled and spun together. Oscar laughed as she tried dipping him. She leaned in and kissed him. They broke into laughs as she did. She brought Oscar up and leaned her forehead against his.

They stayed like that for a few moments. He held tightly onto her hands, wishing to never let go.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Oscar finally pulled away. "I… I couldn't save you. I-"

Ruby put a finger over his lips to cut him off. Her fingers moved from his lips to the evening air and lifted towards the sky. A firefly landed in her hand, flickering in her palm. It walked around her fingers for a little bit before flying off. She watched it go.

"Oscar," her soft voice sent shivers down his spine. "I didn't get to say my vows before,

"I wish we could have actually gotten married today. I… I wish we could bake cookies together and laugh over movies. I wish we could dance in the grass barefoot one last time. Oscar, I love you. You've always been there for me, treating me with a smile and a laugh. You take everything I do in strides, even ridiculous requests like today. I don't have much time left, but I know that I want to spend it with you."

She finished with a smile. She wiped away the tears that flowed from his eyes.

"Thank you…. For everything…" Morning sunlight began illuminating the grass. Its golden rays illuminated her smile. Oscar noticed that she was beginning to look more transparent.

"Ruby…. Not yet! Please don't leave me yet!" He cried. "I… I don't know what to do without you!"

"It's ok, Oscar… You know what to do. You always do." She leaned against his forehead once more. "After all, you're the reason we can see each other again!"

As the sunlight grew, Ruby became fainter. Oscar grasped at whatever he could. He held her cheeks, her hair, anything that would fit in his hands. Ruby only smiled. She wiped the tears from his eyes and kissed his cheek.

"Goodbye Oscar."

Her form burst into rose petals. They drifted in the wind, flying towards the rising sun. Oscar grabbed one. He stared at it in his palm before closing his fingers around it. Oscar held it close to his heart. He closed his eyes.

"Goodbye, Milady."

When he opened his eyes, he was back at the riverbank. The moon had risen above him, its silver rays reflecting off the river water. Oscar stood up. He opened his fist, surprised to find a single rose petal. A small gust of wind blew, and it flew from his hand. The petal drifted into the night, disappearing into the darkness.

~End~


	16. Epilogue

Oscar trudged back to the hospital. He wasn't quite sure where he was, but he hoped he would eventually find some identifiable landmark. He clothes were stiff against his skin and he shivered against the night sky. His shoes made an audible squish sound as he walked, still not dry from the swim in the river. He was cold and miserable, but carried on.

Oscar left the woods and found his way to the street. He was surprised to immediately be greeted by a sign pointing towards the hospital. Oscar followed the direction the sign pointed in, ignoring the cars going by. He was too tired to think about what looks the passengers were giving him.

The lights of a car blinded him. Oscar put a hand in front of his face, shielding himself from its harsh light. The car didn't continue down the road, but pulled over to the side of the road and stopped in front of him.

"Oscar?!" A familiar voice called out to him. Oscar blinked a few times, but was met with a hug before he could process who it was.

"Marigold?" he asked as he recognized the voice.

"Where have you been?!" she snapped. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Look at you! You look terrible!" Flann appeared next to him, wrapping an oversized coat around his shoulders.

"Flann? What are you two doing here?" Oscar finally asked.

"Tai called as many people as he could to search for you!" Marigold explained. "We… We heard what happened…"

"Are you alright, dear? Want us to drop by the store and get you something warm?" Flann asked worriedly. "The car is nice and toasty, let's get you in there."

"Thank you. I mean it."

Flann had already begun pushing him into the car. She opened the passenger door for him and practically buckled him in. Marigold sighed, taking her scroll out and texting people. Flann entered the driver's seat and cranked the heat to the max. Oscar tried protesting, but she ignored him.

"I'm… I'm really sorry about all this," he spoke as Flann drove.

"Don't be. You have every right to be upset," Marigold answered from the backseat.

"Ruby was such a sweet girl… If you need anything, please let me, us, know," Flann said.

"Thank you." Oscar played with the zipper on the coat.

"Your friends were really worried about you, you know."

"I know…"

"But we're just glad you're safe."

"Thanks."

Oscar leaned his head against the window. He watched the scenery pass. He imagined hundreds of rose petals dancing beside the car. Chasing the wind and trying to keep up. He ignored Flann's awkward small talk to listen for the familiar laugh of a girl.

The lights of the hospital soon appeared before his eyes. Through the windows of the lobby he could see a few figures. One of them was pacing back and forth while the others sat with varying postures. As his eyes adjusted, he could clearly see his friends. Oscar opened the car door and in an instant those figures ran towards the door.

"Oscar!" they called to him. Oscar took his time getting out of the car but was nearly knocked over by the wait of everybody jumping into a hug.

"Where have you been?!" Yang snapped.

"We've been calling your scroll like crazy!" Blake added.

"Are you hurt?! Injured?! In pain?!" Nora asked as she began examining him for any injuries.

"I'm fine, really," Oscar chuckled as he tried pulling away from Nora's grasp. "I just… had to clear my head. And, er, I kind of threw my scroll in a river soo….."

"Why would you do something so… so idiotic?!" Jaune snapped.

"Guys, I'm really sorry," he apologized. "Running away like that was… uncalled for. I just… I just didn't know what else to do at the time."

"Take it from someone that's lost someone they loved," Jaune sighed, "please don't do something like that again. We're here for you if you need us."

"Thanks Jaune. I won't," Oscar smiled. The group suddenly split to let Tai through. His eyes were glowing a raw red and his cheeks were stained.

"Hey kid," Tai said to him in a raw and tired voice.

"Hey Tai."

"Ready to see her?" he asked. Oscar looked to the others.

"We've already said our goodbyes," Weiss explained.

"But we'll go with you if you need us to," Jaune quickly added.

"Thank you, but I… I'd rather see her alone," Oscar replied.

"Are you sure?" Nora asked.

"Yes. I want it to be the two of us. Just… Just one last time." Everybody exchanged looks before giving little nods of consent. Oscar took a deep breath and followed Tai.

Tai lead him back to where Ruby's room was. Raven sat on a chair outside the door. She stood up when he came by and wished him luck. Tai agreed to give him some space and let Oscar go in alone.

The room was dark. The dim lights illuminated Oscar's way to her bedside. The moon shone from the window, the same way it had done when he had woken up. The stars twinkled the way her eyes always had. If he could lasso a star would it bring her back?

Oscar sat down in the chair they had placed beside the bed. He didn't do anything for a while. Just stared out the window.

He gazed upon her face. Nothing about her said that she was dead. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful slumber. Oscar brushed a few stray hair from her face, the action caused no reaction from her. He wasn't expecting any.

Oscar took her hand in his. Her fingers were freezing cold compared to his own. He leaned in, resting his forehead on hers. It felt weird not feeling her breath against his face. It felt weird not hearing her giggle or jest as he did so. She just slept on.

"Ruby Rose," he whispered to her. "I take you as my mock wife."

He squeezed her hand just a little tighter. His free hand coming up to hold he cheeks

"You may now kiss the bride."

He leaned forward, leaving one last kiss upon her lips.

Oscar pulled away, but kept his forehead against hers. Just a little longer. He wanted to be by her side a little longer.

Tears slipped from his eyes. They were wiped away by a rose scented embrace. Ruby's cheeks twitched into a smile under his palm. Oscar snapped his eyes open, meeting with silver stars.

"Hi," the voice was quiet.

"Hi."

"I-" a blaring siren broke their conversation. It sounded like a series of high-pitched beeps.

Oscar groaned, realizing that it was his alarm. He fished around for the pesky device on his nightstand. After not finding it, he cracked an eye open and sat up. He reached for the alarm and turned it off with no problems. He sighed, knowing that it was once again time to start the morning.

His small apartment was quiet as he got ready for the morning. He picked up the clothes he had laid out the previous night and started getting dressed. Before he put on his shirt, he took a brief moment to trace the spider-like scars on his chest.

In the mirror, Oscar caught movement. Then a face stared back at him.

"Gah!" He threw his shirt at it. "Ruby! What are you doing here?!"

"I live here, thank you very much."

Ruby took the shirt off her head. Oscar instinctively covered as much of his chest as he could. Ruby just rolled her eyes and threw his shirt back at him.

"That's not- Why are you staring at me?!" Ruby only shrugged. Oscar put on his shirt as fast as he could.

"Ever notice that our scars are in the exact same place? In the exact same shape?" Oscar stopped buttoning up his shirt.

"Uh…"

"I knew it! You had the same curse! We're curse buddies!" Ruby jumped up on the bed, pointing a finger at him.

"What are you talking about? That was months ago." Oscar finished buttoning up his shirt to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I know," Ruby chirped as she sat down next to him. "And I knew you knew. By the way, I call cookies for breakfast."

She disappeared into a cloud of rose petals. It took Oscar a second to process what she had said.

"Wait! Ruby! You can't just drop a bombshell like that and run away!" Oscar got up and chased after her. "And I'm _not_ letting you have cookies for breakfast three days in a row!"

"Oh come on! What's the harm?!" Ruby called from the kitchen.

Oscar ran as fast as he could to the kitchen. He was too late. Ruby was standing at the fridge with the cookie jar in one arm and a cookie in her mouth. She fished around for the milk and closed the door with her foot when she had found it. Oscar could do nothing as he watched out of breath at the entryway.

"Literally everything is wrong! No cookies for breakfast!" He grabbed the jar as she poured herself a glass of milk.

"Oh come on!" she complained. "I deserve it! I died for Pete sake!"

"And now you're alive. And you're not having cookies."

"I'm only alive because you took the curse from me," she rolled her eyes. Oscar gaped at her. She took his shock to steal the jar back.

"You… You knew?"

"Yeah I knew. I mean do you really think I really believed that I went through Lazarus syndrome? Besides your scar grew a little bit after you took the curse."

"Wait, how did you know that?"

"It's not because I watch you while you get dressed in the morning, if that's what you mean." Ruby reached into the cookie jar again.

"Fine. I see how it is. Using bombshells as a way to get cookies. Real mature, Rubes."

"I know~!" she smiled victoriously as she pulled a cookie from the jar. She shoved it in Oscar's face. "But of course, my dear knight deserves a cookie for saving me."

"Ok, ok," he rolled his eyes. " _One_ cookie and then I'll make some actual breakfast."

"I love you~" she grinned. Ruby reached for her glass of milk before suddenly gasping dramatically. She shoved the cookie jar into Oscar's arms. "I almost forgot something really important!"

Ruby disappeared into rose petals again. Oscar just rolled his eyes and looked for a new hiding spot for the cookies. Ruby appeared a moment after he placed the jar behind some cereal boxes. She grinned as she showed off her left hand.

"Don't want to forget this~!" she sang, pointing to the rose-shaped ruby displayed proudly on a silver band.

"I'm glad you didn't forget," he chuckled.

"Never," Ruby grinned proudly. She then began pushing him out the door. "Now shoo! You gotta get to work!"

"What?! I still have like another hour?"

"No! You need to go now!"

"Oh no! The weight of responsibility is crashing down on me!" Oscar leaned back against her push. "How will I ever make it out the door?!"

"Noooo!" Ruby complained. "I just wanted cookies!"

Oscar laughed at her confession. They play-spared for a while until Oscar actually had to leave for Signal.

Oscar walked to work with a smile on his face. When he arrived, Flann greeted him as usual. Then Marigold joined in, complaining about her weekend. Finally Tai arrived, embarrassing Oscar as Tai proudly (and loudly) called him "his future son-in-law."

He dismissed himself to work on some paperwork. As he scribbled grades, his new scroll rung.

"Oscar!" Ruby's voice came from the other side. "I'm about to leave for my mission! Want anything from the train station?!"

"I'm good," Oscar laughed.

"Are you sure? There's a really cute Beowulf plushie here."

"You know those things are a tourist trap, right?"

"Right…. But hypothetically, what would you say if I got it?"

"You bought it didn't you?"

"You can't prove anything!" Oscar laughed at her response.

"I gotta go, class is going to start soon."

"Ok! Bye Oscar! Don't torture those kids too much!"

"Bye, milady. Teach those grimm a lesson!"

Thus his ordinary day started.

~The End~


	17. Thank you!

This started out as a little idea I had, something I had expected to disappear into the background of all the RWBY fics. In the end, I had no idea so many people would love One More Chance! With all my heart, I want to say "Thank you for reading!"

I'll be taking a short break to deal with personal life and to work on Corruption, but eventually I plan on releasing a Freezerburn version. If you're interested, look out for that!

No idea where I'll be going next except for sleeping for the next 1000 years, but I hope you stay tuned!

Until next time!

~Red


End file.
